Unrequited Love
by Mrs.Tudor
Summary: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger have a strange relationship over the years. He is the Sytherin Prince and she becomes the filthy Mudblood he is supposed to despise. Will they be able to save themselves from the imminent chaos that is the war, or will they die trying? Featuring sex, violence and mild profanity. A story of love, hate, and all the shades in between morph into one.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, nor will it ever be, for it belongs to the amazing J._

 _Please leave a review after you read the chapter, so I can improve as I go._

 _Also, if you have any ideas of a scene I should incorporate, please share it with me, I will try to find a place for it in my story. But if I cannot, please know that your idea has been thought of and fully appreciated._

 _I will keep an open mind, even though the whole story is pretty much all planned out already._

* * *

 _Hermione POV_

 _Hogwarts, first year_

 _Two days before school_

It was her first year at Hogwarts. She had read all about the school's history, 'you never knew when that sort of knowledge would come in handy', she thought. Hermione was a very brilliant girl for her age, her parents often told her.

She couldn't help but hope that she would be an adequate witch, for she was the first in her family to have the possibility to _learn_ , let alone _use_ magic. Of course, she had to be the best, she could not fail, ever. Hermione had always strived to be the best at everything, sometimes without even trying. One could only hope that it would be the same with magic.

She had already gone to Diagon Alley with her mum and dad to buy all her supplies for school.

Muggle London was quite plain, compared to this place. There where stores that selled flying brooms and others that selled potions and quills. Hermione was completely astounded at that.

She found this book store called Fleury & Botts, it had quickly become her favourite out of all the other shops, simply because of all the books she could find. Her mother bought her a few that would help her deepen her skills at classes such as, Charms, History Of Magic, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions. knew her daughter would be extremely pleased with her new books.

Hermione was feeling a bit nervous about starting school in two days, for she knew she wouldn't see her parents for a while. But she would write to them, every week. And she would sometimes visit on the weekends, if she could take a break from studying, obviously.

Hermione couldn't sleep anymore, she was feeling anxious, excited, and something she couldn't quite define...

 _On the Hogwarts Express, the_ _eve_ _of the first day of school_

The train ride to Hogwarts had just began, and Hermione finally found a seat in one of the compartments. Initially, she had been sitting alone, when a young blond boy came in with five other people.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we join you? Everywhere else is full." he asked, smiling.

Hermione answered with a nod. She was reading about Albus Dumbledore, the director of Hogwarts. Therefore, she was too absorbed by her book to even look up at the people who came in and sat across from her, except the blond boy, who sat next to her.

Hermione heard them talking about food and their how excited their parents were about having their only child finally attend Hogwarts, but she paid no further attention, for the conversation was absolutely irrelevant to her.

A quarter of an hour had passed, and Hermione had finished her chapter on Professor Dumbledore, he was the greatest wizard in the history of the wizarding world, no doubt about that. It is of great honour that she will be attending his school. She, Hermione Ganger, would have the pleasure to meet the best wizard in the world...

She was suddenly pulled out of her reverie by the boy sitting next to her.

"What's it about?" he asked, looking at then open book in her lap.

"Pardon?" answered Hermione, a bit confused.

"The book you were reading, what's it about?" clarified the blond, now looking into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh! It's about the greatest wizards in history. They are all very talented, but I fancy Dumbledore the best." she sayed, smiling at him.

"Really? As do I!" the boy smiled sheepishly at his new friend.

"I heard he appears on the card in the chocolate frog package. I would have liked to see a picture of his face, but I haven't gotten any of those treats yet" she returned, with a sad smile on her face.

The boy looked at her briefly, before shooting to his feet and running out of the compartment and slamming the door shut behind him. 'Well, I guess that conversation is over,' Hermione thought. She didn't even bother talking to the others in the cabinet, it was just useless. She always had difficulty making friends, but she had secretly hoped that it would be different in the world of magic. She felt she was an odd girl, because she liked books more than people. Even at a young age, Hermione never truly had any girl friends, let alone boy friends, so why would it be any different now? Even though she really enjoyed being alone, she would've liked to have at least a few friends, to distract her from time to time.

The door was suddenly pulled open, and the blond boy came back. Hermione noticed for the first time that his eyes were light gray - like ice, but they weren't cold- and his cheeks were slightly flushed, as if he ran back to their compartment. He was wearing the school robes, as was everyone else. The robes didn't have the house insignia, for all the first year students had yet to be sorted in their rightful house, wether it be Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Hermione hoped she would be placed in Ravenclaw, but she had read somewhere that the Sorting Hat would make the choice, which she hoped wouldn't be Slytherin. Slytherin was the worst of all four houses, it was where the bad wizards where.

The blond sat next to Hermione again and pulled out a blue and gold box from his pocket, and kindly handed it to her.

"Here" he sayed, urging her to take it, "I bought you your first chocolate frog, I hope you like it. Come on, open it! Maybe its a Dumbledore card!"

Hermione was unequivocally awestruck. 'Did this boy just run out to buy me candy?' she asked herself.

She took the box from his hands and opened it quickly. She released a small shriek when the chocolate frog jumped out onto her lap and then on the brunette sitting in front of her. The girl grabbed the frog, and took a bite out of its head. That made Hermione shiver with disgust, even if the frog was just chocolate, it was still a little eerie.

"Oh Merlin!" she gasped, in shock.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Where I come from, candy doesn't usually jump out of its box. It doesn't move at all, actually." she answered honestly.

"What do you mean 'where I come from'?" questioned the boy.

"I'm Muggle-born, you see? I am not completely used to magic yet" she sayed quickly.

"Oh! I guess shock is normal then. Have you done any magic yet?" he replied calmly.

"Of course! I have been practicing a few basic spells for a few weeks now. But just the easy ones, like levitating or repairing a broken object. I am a little afraid to try anything more complex, even with all the books I have read on the matter." she admitted.

"I've actually already mastered those, but I am still perfecting my technique at a special charm." he retorted smugly.

"Oh really? Well let's see then. Go on, have a go!" she challenged.

The boy lifted his wand at her.

"Rictusempra" he whispered, and within seconds, Hermione felt like she was being attacked, by tickles. She started giggling and jumping on her seat uncontrollably. She had tears in her eyes after thirty seconds and then it stopped.

After having gathered her wits about her, she stated, "Seems to me like your technique is already spot on." locking eyes with her friend.

He smiled at her. She had come to find that smile quite comforting in such a short amount of time. She couldn't help but smile back.

After having stared at each other for a fair amount of time, Hermione shyly looked down at the box in her left hand and pulled out the card with a famous sorcerer on it. She smiled at her blond friend when -she saw the name Dumbledore on the back- and flipped it over to see an old man, with an abnormally long beard, smiling at her. Then he abruptly up and left. 'Well, that was brief', she thought.

The blond had been searching her face for some sort of reaction to who she just saw for the first time. Feeling eyes on her, Hermione looked up to meet his gray eyes, and they both burst out laughing.

Neither of them knew why exactly, but it felt good to laugh like that.

One might call it the start of an amazing friendship...

One hour and a half had gone by so quickly while they were talking and laughing. They had found themselves alone in the compartment for forty minutes, but it was okay, they had gotten over that awkward part at the beginning of a friendship, where you don't know how to act or what to say. They where just being themselves, whatever that meant.

Hermione realized that she still didn't know what the name of her blond friend was. And _he_ still didn't know what _her_ name was.

"My name is Hermione Granger by the way! I somehow forgot to mention that in the few hours that we've been talking." she stated, giggling at her forgetfulness.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Pleased to finally meet you, Hermione!" he said, smirking. He offered a hand, and she shook it.

She couldn't help but repeat his name in her head. It was beautiful, she found, unique. And she loved how he said her name, with such confidence and wit, like her name was a secret, which only he knew about, and couldn't help but tell anyone who would listen that he knew something they didn't.

They were suddenly snatched out of there thoughts when a young female's voice was heard all over the first year's train wagons.

 _"Hogwarts first years, please exit out of your compartments. In alphabetical order, students from A to L will go to the front of the train to retrieve their luggage, as for the rest of the students, you will go to the back of the train. Please remain calm and composed, first years. You wouldn't want to cause any disturbance, would you? Also, we will be arriving at Hogwarts in fifty minutes, you ought to have gathered your belongings by the, and returned to your compartments."_

Hermione shot a glance at Draco, who was already looking at her. The look he gave her made her shiver. His icy grey eyes were staring deep into hers, like he was trying to read her mind. He then got up and took a step forward, for he had been sitting across from Hermione for the last hour. She had gotten up as well, not knowing why. She looked at Draco and smiled shyly, she knew she was blushing, what with his close proximity and all.

The, the blond boy came even closer. They were now two feet apart, and it was making Hermione extremely nervous. Draco gently took her hand and brought it up to his mouth.

"It was nice meeting you Hermione, I hope to see you around." he whispered against her hand, and then placed a kiss on her knuckles.

As he turned to exit, he looked over his shoulder at her, and smiled on last time before leaving the compartment.

Hermione had taken care of her luggage quite quickly as she was one of the first in line to retrieve her things. Afterwards, she had gone back to her compartment, hoping to find a certain blond, but found instead, three girls who where trying out spells, one of which was a transfiguration spell she hadn't heard about, probably because it was made up.

She moved down a few compartments full of students and found two boys, a dark haired boy and a red haired boy.

"Hello there! Can I join you?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Please do! I'm Harry, this is Ron." said the dark haired boy, gesturing towards the red haired boy, who smiled slightly.

"Nice to meet you boys, I'm Hermione." she replied quickly.

There was an awkward silence as she sat next to Harry, waiting for someone to say something. The tension could be cut with a knife, until she courageously spoke.

"So, I gather you're Harry Potter."

"Merlin almighty! Does the whole world know who I am?" he burst out, clearly irritated.

"Afraid so, mate!" said Ron, joining the conversation.

"Bloody brilliant! Guess you know about my life too then. Nothing worth fretting about. Let's just eat some candy, Ron please remove your rat from my food." replied Harry.

They all looked at each other and started laughing at Ron's offended features. At that precise moment, the Golden Trio was born.

Hermione felt it was her lucky day, she met three great boys, who had quickly become her friends. She couldn't wait to arrive at Hogwarts and get sorted into her house. The thought made her nervous and happy.

 _In the Great Hall_

The Sorting Ceremony had begun, and Hermione was next. Two girls had been sorted into Hufflepuff, one boy and two girls into Ravenclaw, three boys into Slytherin and one boy into Gryffindor.

"Hermione Granger" called Professor McGonagall.

Hermione, muttering to herself that everything was okay, slowly went to sit on the seat. She felt the Sorting Hat being placed on her head. She was shaking with fear. Fear of being sorted into Slytherin.

 _"_ Ah, right, then. Hmm, right. Okay. GRYFFINDOR!" said the hat.

Hermione let out a long sigh of relief and searched for Draco in the crowd of first years. Her gaze landed on him. He was smirking at her, she loved that smirk of his. She got up and winked at the boy, before walking over to take a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to Fred and George Weasley, Ron's older brother. She was eager to see where her three friends would be sorted.

Draco's turn finally came. Hermione was shaking. The blond went up to the seat and plopped down. He quickly locked eyes with Hermione, he needed to see her, see her reassuring eyes.

She offered a comforting smile and saw Draco's features relax. He was tense, why? She'll have to ask later for sure. His lips turned into his smirk and the Sorting Hat had been dropped onto his platinum head.

"A Malfoy I see..." snorted the hat.

Draco shot a panicked look at Hermione, who didn't react at that.

"SLYTHERIN!" screeched the cap.

Hermione mouthed 'it's okay' to Draco, who quickly nodded and smirked at her. He strutted proudly toward the Slytherin table and sat down, not taking his eyes off of Hermione's. She sent him one last wink before looking back at the ceremony.

Harry and Ron had been sorted into Gryffindor as well, Hermione felt a tremendous amount of joy that her friends where with her, at least she wouldn't be alone.

The feast began and Ron was devouring the mountain of food on his plate at an incredibly fast rate, it was a wonder he hadn't hurdled yet. She was eating mashed potatoes with a chicken breast and salad. There was so much food on the table that she couldn't make up her mind, so she grabbed whatever was in front of her. She was drinking pumpkin juice when Dumbledore gave his welcoming speech. Hermione was awestruck before the greatest wizard in history. She glanced over at the Slytherin table and met Draco's icy gaze. He gave her a knowing smile and she knew he saw her practically drooling all over herself at the sight of the wonderful director in front of them, she returned an appreciating smile and turned back to focus on what Dumbledore was saying.

"...and you shall now go to your common rooms. Your house's prefects will lead the way and explain the rules and specify the curfew. Welcome students! Get well acquainted with the others in your house, for they will be with you for the next seven years." he said, before gliding off to his seat behind the professor's table.

Hermione finished unpacking her luggage quickly. She was extremely fatigued and was eager to get to sleep. She went into the bathroom and tied her lion's mane up into a messy bun and put on her Muggle pyjamas, she brought her favourite light blue set, she needed something that reminded her of home. She brushed her teeth and went back into her dorm, which she shared with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, they were nice girls, from what Hermione gathered in the five minute conversation they had about who would have which bed.

After preparing her books for tomorrow, she jumped into bed and dropped her head on her soft pillow, thinking if Draco had made friends yet and what did his common room look like.

That first night, she fell asleep with a delicate smile on her face...

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _So that was the first chapter, from Hermione's POV, next chapter will be from Draco's POV. We will have the pleasure of meeting Lucius, Narcissa and Dobby, as well as Blaise, Draco's best mate._

 _I will probably be posting a chapter a week, maybe two if I am struck by inspiration!_

 _Please share your thoughts with me, this story is for you, after all._

 _Till next time_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Anything related to Harry Potter is not might, nor will it ever be. It all belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling_

* * *

 _Draco's POV_

 _The Slytherin common room, first night at Hogwarts_

As the prefects brought them to their common room, all of Draco's future classmates kept yammering about how Potter got sorted into Gryffindor, and how amazing it was that they would be attending school with the one and only Harry -bloody- Potter, like he was this extraordinary wizard, when really, he had no merit for supposedly killing the Dark One. Draco had barely met him for the first time, expecting a fine boy who had survived had been through a lot, but instead, he got an arrogant git, who thought the world revolved around him. It was quite disappointing. Draco anticipated being friends with The Boy-Who-Lived ever since his father mentioned him a few months ago.

The young blond was appalled by that discovery. How did people not see how self-absorbed the famous Harry Potter truly was? And Hermione made friends with him and Weasley, what could she possibly find to them? It made Draco jealous, then angry, because he was jealous of Weasley and Potter who would inevitably get to spend more time with her, since they were in the same house.

Draco hated Potter, officially. He wasn't, he was just a boy who happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Harry Potter couldn't possibly be a savior, for he simply was a worthless orphan boy.

Lucius Malfoy, was the true hero. As well as the rest of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's army. Draco's father was a war hero who fought next to The Lord for many years, till he allegedly died. Although, from what Lucius told him, none of Voldemort's followers truly believed that he was no longer alive. Instead, they trusted he's was in hiding, regaining his strength to come back and save the wizarding world once and for all.

The Lord's army had made quite a name for itself. Death Eaters, that's what they were called. That's what Lucius was. Draco saw the Dark Mark on his father's forearm and couldn't help but hope that someday, he would have the same one. He hoped that someday, he would be worthy enough to be in Voldemort's close circle, like his father was.

The blond boy had been pulled out of his daydreaming when one of the prefects started mentioning the dorms. Draco found out earlier from a third year slytherin that he got the larger dorms –the one with only three beds- due to his father's power as one of Governors of Hogwarts. The young Malfoy was glad to share his room with Blaise Zabini, his best mate.

"Boy's dormitories are on the left and girl's dormitories are on the right. In your room, you will find that your school robes have been cleaned and folded. Of course, your things are awaiting to be properly placed. First years, curfew is a ten, which is in twenty minutes. I hope you familiarize quickly with the rules, for your own good. Go on now" the slander sixth year prefect sneered.

As all the young students stood there gaping, Draco started heading up the stairs to his dorm, followed closely by Zabini. They spelled the door so that only them would be able to come in the dorm, for they were the only ones who knew the password, which was "Gryffindors suck", one might say it is easy enough to guess, but the dorm mates couldn't bother caring.

OOOO

The two young boy have been good friends for years now. Blaise and Draco met when they were five. Their mothers constantly visited each other, and they would arrange for their sons to play together, while they chatted an had tea, Draco guessed. Blaise was a dark skinned Italian, he would often teach Draco swear words, for when he might want to cuss out his parents without them actually knowing what he was saying, which happened to be strategy that came in handy many times.

The two boys got along extremely well, they had gotten to that part of their friendship where one would know very easily if there was something wrong with the other. They sometimes didn't speak, for there was nothing to be said. Draco was okay with that, as was Blaise.

It was summer, when Draco first realized that Blaise was a good mate, he had just gotten a beating from his father, because he had said thank you to the house elf and offered it help, which Draco learned that it was something to never do again. Elves were supposed to serve them, not the other way around.

After Draco got his hand broken by his father's cane, he went back to his chambers, where Blaise had been staying for the summer, since his mother left the country and his father was out of the picture from the beginning. Draco knew that Blaise heard the conversation he had with his father, but to the blond's surprise, his friend hadn't brought up the subject, which was more than fine with him. Blaise knew what happened, but instead of talking about it, he simply distracted Draco with chess. The young Malfoy excelled at chess, ever since the first time he played.

Zabini didn't have a such a great life. He was often staying at the Malfoy's, since his mother would leave the country so often, doing Merlin knew what. Blaise didn't even bother asking anymore, it had become completely useless information. He also didn't mind the Malfoy's at all, Narcissa had grown to be like a second mother to him, just like Lucius had become his only father figure.

Even though Lucius never behaved the same way with Blaise as he did Draco. For instance, Blaise never got a beating, unlike Draco, who got them regularly. The dark skinned boy was rather quiet and remained away trouble, compared to Draco, who jumped in head first into any sort of dangerous situation. Such as sneaking into the kitchens to help the elves cook their food or actually feeding them. His blond friend was actually a great cook, Blaise found. For his ninth birthday, Draco made an attempt at baking a chocolate gateau, Blaise's favourite dessert. The cake was looking horrid, but luckily, it didn't taste as bad as it looked. The young Italian was proud of his best mate, for trying to make his day a little less unpleasant.

The two boys had each others back's, that's the way it's always been. And it was probably the way it would always be.

When Draco and Blaise got to their dorm -that they shared with Theodore Nott, the strange kid- , Draco slumped down on his bed, grinning from ear to ear.

"What is that?" asked the Italian, grimacing at Draco's face.

"What?" retorted the blond, while leaning on his right elbow, smiling sheepishly.

"That smile on your face is bloody scary, mate! What is wrong with you?" questioned Blaise, who started getting mildly creeped out by his dorm mate.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I just met this girl earlier on the train ride." answered Draco, with a little flush on his cheeks.

" _Oh really?_ Can't figure that! Girls are barmy, annoying, gossipy _and_ ugly." snorted his friend.

"I know! Except this one. She's different. She is brilliant, funny and has these stupefyingly beautiful brown eyes. And that _hair_ , Merlin her hair!" he said, running his hand through his platinum blond hair. " It's like an untamable mane. I can spot her from a distance, with that hair of hers." laughed the young blond.

Blaise smiled slightly at that. His friend _liked a girl_. Draco Malfoy, liked a girl.

OOOO

They were all sitting on their bed when their roommate came in. The two boys looked at Draco when he nodded once and made his way to his bed. Draco had met Theodore on the Hogwarts Express, when they went to retrieve their luggage. The brown haired boy was odd, Draco noticed. He kept to himself while everyone around him spoke about irrelevant things.

Draco came up to him and began asking if he had any older siblings that were also attending Hogwarts. The peculiar boy was an only child, like Draco. He was also lacking social etiquette, which young Malfoy thought was fine, seeing as how the Theodore didn't seem to have any friends and was a very shy person. The blond felt it was his job to get friendly with his new roommate, they were going to share the dorm for the next seven years, after all. Draco didn't worry about Blaise making friends, for he was the most gregarious person Draco knew. Making friends, for Blaise, was in no way a hard task.

After they had gotten their luggage, Theodore and Draco made their way to the nearest empty compartment and sat down across from each other. After what seemed like an interminable minute, the brown haired boy finally broke the tension.

"I'm Theodore Nott by the way. But you can call me Theo." stated Theo, his voice shaking slightly.

"I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." announced the blond boy with confidence, proud of his name.

They both nodded and shook hands. That was the start of one of the best friendships either of them ever had.

It was a silent agreement -they both knew-, a pledge, that would last for the next seven years, maybe more. They both needed a new friend, someone who was their complete opposite, someone who they would have to learn to know.

OOOO

The Slytherin Trio had stayed up talking till two in the morning, when Blaise started snoring in his sleep. The three roommates had become friends very quickly. They ate Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and practiced easy spells for their classes tomorrow. Their roles in the group had become obvious after an hour. Blaise was the funny one, Draco was the leader and Theo was the silent mastermind.

When Theo fell asleep nearly thirty minutes after Blaise, Draco laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He wouldn't even deny thinking about his bushy-haired friend if anyone asked. He couldn't help but laugh at the memory of her reaction when the chocolate frog jumped from its box, she was utterly astounded. That look of amazement in her brown eyes made Draco smirk shyly.

He remembered that he and Hermione shared Potions, Transfiguration and Charms tomorrow. The thought made him jitter with excitement at seeing her again. Maybe she didn't even notice that their class schedule was quite similar, and that they would share a lot of their classes, but that was okay. Draco would figure it out, somehow, during their first hour with Professor Snape.

He was delighted by the fact that his godfather would be his teacher. He had always liked Severus, ever since he was a young boy. He used to teach him magic, that's how Draco had learned everything he knew. Not to mention that Snape was a Slytherin as well. He was, in fact, referred to as the Slytherin Prince.

'I sort of _am_ the next Slytherin Prince, aren't I? It would certainly make sense.' Draco thought.

'And if I'm the Slytherin Prince, I can only imagine who the Gryffindor Princess might be.' he continued, smirking.

That first night, Draco fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

* * *

 _A/N: That was it for the second chapter, from Draco's POV. I am trying to ease into the story slowly by not showing too much, yet._

 _Don't forget to let me now how you found it, maybe leave a few name ideas instead of the Slytherin Trio, it seems a little obvious and plain._

 _Thank you, till next time :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Anything related to Harry Potter is not might, nor will it ever be. It all belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling_

* * *

 _Hermione's POV_

 _A few months later._

Over the last few months, Hermione had found herself constantly torn between her Slytherin and Gryffindor friends. She tried spending time with all of the together, but it never ended well and they were arguing incessantly. Hermione found herself in the middle of each argument they had, she was always the one they turned to, she was the arbiter. Draco didn't get along with Harry and Ron, at all. They sometimes tried to behave, for Hermione's sake.

She had tried over and over again to bring them together but it always seemed to end with someone getting hexed or punched, they just never saw eye to eye, they were too different. Once, when the bickering got out of hand, Blaise had ended up with a black eye, from Ron's eager fist. Although, in the end, Blaise had gotten his revenge on the redheaded Gryffindor. Ron had gotten hexed that day, bat-bogey hexed! Their classmates had made fun of Ron for a week, much to Blaise's pleasure. The boys fought about everything, but more often than not, it was because of Quidditch, it _always_ came back to that stupid game. Hermione still didn't understand it, even after Draco had tried explaining it to her multiple times. She just _couldn't_ understand it. She couldn't and wouldn't. It was beyond her how her friends could bicker over and over again about that sport. She hated Quidditch as much as flying.

Theo was feeling the same way, he didn't grasp the fact that Quidditch was "Merlin's gift to wizards" - as Ron put it-, he just found it to be unnecessarily violent and quite frankly, useless. He and Hermione shared numerous opinions, that's what had made their friendship work as well as it has. Even thought they weren't really compatible, personality wise, and wouldn't naturally want to spend time together, somehow they still did.

Hermione often went to Theo for help on any schoolwork, _-because they were the only ones in their year that actually paid attention to their marks-,_ or to get away from all the Quidditch talk. Theodore was a rather quiet fellow, some of their classmates steered clear of him for that particular reason, though Hermione found it was what made him, _him_. He was always present, watching, listening, but never joined in on the conversation. He was a silent witness, who only spoke when spoken to, which wasn't often, since people feared him. Hermione heard people talking. They referred to Theo as creepy and stalkerish. He knew what people were saying about him, but he couldn't care less, he had his friends and the rest could sod off.

As for Blaise, he was just always around, ready to crack a joke or just end an ear when one of his mates needed it. He was there for anyone who needed him, especially Hermione, who found that her Italian friend gave the best advice out of all her friends. Blaise was objective and resourceful. He found Hermione to be refreshingly different. He liked her, as a friend of course. He and Theo had made a pact not to like her _too_ much. They knew Draco would most likely hex them six ways to Sunday if they did. Blaise knew Draco had a hard time seeing her with Potter and the Weasel every time he went to talk to her. It's like they were doing it on purpose, to keep him away from her, which only made him angrier. Their strategy never worked though, Hermione and Draco somehow found a way to see each other. They both liked the library, so that had become their usual meeting spot.

Draco had a temper, Hermione found that out fairly quickly, what with Harry and Ronald constantly nagging at him. He also got very protective over her. Once, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, professor Quirrell made a snarky comment about how Muggle-borns were inferior and Draco jumped up from his seat and called the teacher a stuttering idiot, which was completely true. Hermione had gotten used to that side of her blond friend, she had actually grown to mildly enjoy it, though she would never admit that to anyone.

OOOO

 _Flashback: A few months ago_

That day, Hermione had her first spat with Ron. He claimed that she was worse than his mother, because she kept telling him to focus more on school and less on food and other pointless distractions. The curly haired girl worried about her red headed friend, she had tried to help him, but he lacks motivation. Ron was as lazy as one could get. He always copied Harry or Hermione's assignments and papers, which was beginning to irritate the latter.

Hermione had already finished next week's assignment on the Wiggenweld Potion and Ron hadn't even gone to the library to read up on it. She had asked him several times if he wanted to come with her, but he consistently found pathetic excuses not to. Being fed up with all that nonsense, Hermione merely mentioned that he might want to start doing his homework soon and stop with that dim-witted reasoning to do nothing.

It took Hermione about a week of long hours at the library, reading books upon books about the potion to finally complete the paper. She was the brightest in their year. If _she_ had done it in a week, who knew how long it would take Ronald!

She and Ron had been bickering about the subject for nearly twenty minutes. The entire common room was now listening to the exchange, that had quickly gotten blown out of proportion. Insults were being thrown around and Hermione couldn't take it anymore. Feeling tears prickle her big brown eyes, she scurried out of the common room and as she heard the portrait click shut behind her, she ran as far away as she could.

After she had climbed the stairs and rounded multiple corners, she found herself in a rather large unused broom cupboard. Fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill, she choked out a cry and let go.

She was sitting on the cold stairs, thinking about what Ron had told her.

She knew she was bossy and a little condescending sometimes, but why did Ron, of all people, have to point it out constantly? Was she that awful for trying to help her friend? She realized then that she was doubting herself, she's never done _that_ before. _'Come on Hermione, snap out of it! It's just Ron after all, he'll get through it. No need_ _to question yourself. You're Hermione Granger, brightest witch of your age._ _Don't forget that.'_ She thought to herself.

Ron was supposed to be her best friend, yet he was the one who made her want to hide in an dusty closet and cry. Harry wasn't like that, he was always understanding and caring, as where Draco, Theo and Blaise. Why did Ron hate her so much, was it because she was a Muggle? What was it about her heritage that made people use it against her? When had being who she was, become a bad thing? _Was_ being Muggleborn a bad thing?

The thoughts made her sob louder. So loud, that a certain blonde boy who was wandering the hallway had heard the weeping form afar. He got closer to the door, Hermione saw his shadow from under the door and froze, silent, waiting for whoever it was to keep walking and leave her be.

She sat there quietly, listening to her own heartbeats and waiting to be alone again. Unfortunately, the door swung open and in walked Draco. Not now, she just wanted to be _alone,_ for once. She didn't want company, not right now!

Noticing he hadn't seen her sitting on the stairs, _-probably because the room was completely dark-_ , she turned her back to him, not wanting him to see her like this. She kept crying quietly as Draco heard the noise and next to her on the steps. He move closer to her, offering her a shoulder to cry on, as he gently stroked her arm in a comforting manner. In that moment, Hermione was extremely grateful for Draco. He was always there for her, whatever she needed. He also knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. Hermione relished the fact that she and Draco had become so close. The notion frightened her a little. If he knew her well enough to know what to say to assuage her sadness, he also knew her well enough to inflict it. She felt strongly about Draco, she trusted him. He would never hurt her, not deliberately.

They sat in silence for thirty minutes before Hermione looked up to meet his stormy gaze. She saw the look of pure rage and concern. She assumed he would probably have a quick chat with Ronald, for doing this to her. Actually, the more she thought about it, there would most likely be very little chatting, seeing as how Draco would possibly hex the redhead into oblivion.

After a while, she grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, before getting to her feet and patting down her robes. She looked away from Draco, who was still eyeing her worriedly as he too, stood. He stepped closer to her, and gave her a small smile. Draco was taller than her, by a few inches. Blaise and Theo were as well. _'Probably all Slytherins are taller'_ she thought. It was pure nonsense.

"You know he's just a stupid git Hermione, don't let him do this to you." He whispered, while softly tucking a wild strand behind her ear.

Smiling shyly, she said "I am aware of that. I just can't seem to figure out why he does it." Looking into the void, thoughtful.

"Because he's a bloody oaf, that's why!" Huffed Draco, mildly irked.

"You should really stop with the insults, Draco, he _is_ still my friend." Replied Hermione, annoyed.

"Well he deserves them, for treating you like a house elf, you're not his servant for Merlin's sake! He can do his homework alone, he should not shame you for wanting to help him when he is doing nothing, except stuffing his freckled face with bloody biscuits and whining about his poor grades!" Shot the blonde, equally as bothered.

Hermione didn't reply. There was nothing left to say, he was right. Ron was a lazy git! But he was still her best friend, and she would help him anyway. That was who she was. Draco would never understand that part of her, but it didn't matter. He was still there for her, always will be.

Tired of quarreling, she gave up, sighing loudly.

"I don't want to fight with you too, please. Can we just go for a walk?" She said, risking a pleading glance at him, waiting for some comeback on Ronald's stupidity.

To her utter surprise, he got up, moved next to her and offered her his arm. After she latched onto it, he smirked. That smirk Hermione loved so much was back. Quickly realizing she was staring, she flushed crimson. Draco knew Hermione liked his smirk, and for that, it was only reserved to her. It was their secret. He also knew Hermione flushed crimson as soon as she realized that she had been staring at his smirking face, thinking how much she liked it. It was their secret, always will be...

* * *

 _A/N: Hurray! I cannot wait for the bullying to start! That sounds a bit harsh, but still, its true._

 _Next chapter starts with a flashback to the summer after their first year is over, Draco tells his father about his friend, Hermione, the Muggleborn._ _Let us all see how bad Lucius can get, and how broken Draco will be._

 _Don't forget to share your ideas with me, I always love to read what you guys come up with._

 _Thank you, till next time :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I'm sure you know by now._

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 _Flashback to the summer after first year_

Draco and Blaise had gone back home for summer. Home being the Malfoy Manor, even for Blaise, who had practically lived there full-time for the past two years. The Malfoys had inevitably become his family, which Blaise thought was quite alright, seeing as how Narcissa and Lucius accepted him as their own, even the house elves started calling him 'Master Zabini', which he found highly unsettling. He never liked being considered superior to someone, even a house elf.

Dinner was served, and they all sat around the massive table. Narcissa was across from Blaise and Draco was opposite Lucius. They were talking about how the boys' found their first year at Hogwarts.

"What about Quidditch, do you think either of you might try out next year? I know you boys are quite skilled at flying already, so I can only imagine how well you'll play." Asked Narcissa, trying to change the subject from their grades.

"Thought I would. The team is lacking a talented Seeker. They would be lucky to have me." Snickered her own son. He heard Blaise's scoff and turned to narrow his eyes at the Italian.

"I'll be trying out for any position really. I just want to be in the team." Confessed Blaise, looking down at his plate shyly.

"I'm sure you'll both make it in the team. Now tell me, have you made any friends?" Questioned Narcissa, quizzically.

The two best friends locked eyes. They had talked about mentioning their "new friend" to Draco's parents. They had heard comments about Hermione's lineage all year. She had dealt with insults about her blood and heritage from her classmates and professors. Blaise and Draco had stuck with her through it all. They knew the latter's parents were very prejudiced about all this blood nonsense, so they put off the subject for as long as they could. But their procrastination drew to a close.

With one last glance at each other, they agreed to reveal Hermione Granger's existence, but they would exclude divulging her Muggle origins.

"Of course Mother, we've befriended Theodore Nott -our dormmate-, Hermione Granger -a Gryffindor bookworm- , also, Crabbe and Goyle, who are slightly dim-witted but still very amusing." Confirmed Draco, his voice trembling nervously.

"Very well boys, I'm pleased to find that you have made friends with a girl as well, and a Gryffindor at that-" spoke Narcissa before getting harshly interrupted by her husband's disapproving sigh.

" What? Slytherin girls aren't good enough for you? Please Draco, you mustn't lower yourself to associate with Gryffindors." Commanded Lucius with a look of disdain.

A confused and rather vexed blonde boy asked, "Why? Hermione's really nice, smart and brave. When people insulted her Muggle heritage, she always stood up for herself!" He tried to convince his enraged father.

Watching his son, infuriated, Lucius arose from his seat. "Come with me Draco, I want to show you something." Instructed the man, gripping his wand tightly. Draco noticed the action and felt his stomach fall. What had he done? He shot a glance at Blaise to seek help, but was interrupted by his mother who stood and walked gingerly to Blaise and whispered something to the Italian, who saw red.

Draco didn't know, but Narcissa had told Blaise that his friend was going to get punished for having befriended a Muggleborn, but he could see him after the 'lesson' was finished.

Lucius had grabbed his son by the collar and dragged him to his study.

OOOO

A sickening noise was heard when Lucius had broken Draco's hands with his cane.

"You dare defy me, _Boy._ You have tarnished the Malfoy name by talking to that Mudblood." Throwing another punch at his son's face.

Draco groaned as he took the punches, he shouldn't have spoken.

"Don't call her that, _Father._ She is an amaz-" trying to defend his friend, he got another hit.

"You are a disgrace." Roared Lucius, as he knocked on his son with full force, again.

The blonde boy waited, mentally berating himself for bringing up Hermione. He should have kept his mouth shut, now he would probably be beat to death by his father, who seemed to enjoying himself very much, seeing as how he had a maniacal grin plastered on his contorted face.

Lucius dropped his unresponsive son to the ground with a loud thump. Draco felt a wave of relief wash over him as the punching had ceased. It did cease, but only briefly, while Lucius healed his own broken hand. Then, he sat in his arm chair, looking down at his pathetic son with a spiteful glint in his eyes.

After a while, he stood, staring defiantly at his bloodied and comatose son. He lifted his wand just as Draco woke up in time to be struck again, by something way stronger than anything he had ever experienced before.

"Crucio", was all Draco heard before screaming and writhing in pain, on the cold floor. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing you, repeatedly.

Eventually, Draco had stopped screaming. He was unconscious.

Disappointed by his son's weakness, Lucius lifted the curse and left his study, slamming the door behind him.

OOOO

The last thing he heard was silence, after a door being slammed shut.

He had been listening to it all. He was there with Draco. There, but from a distance. He had heard the yelling and then the silence. Then all of a sudden, there was screaming. He recognized it as Draco's immediately. Blaise was terrified for his friend. Narcissa had sent him to Draco's room, while she went to reason with her infuriated husband.

When she didn't come back, Blaise had decided to go looking for his mate.

He had searched all over the house for Draco, but found him, at last, in his father's study.

Blaise gasped at the sight. The boy lying on the ground before him was unrecognizable. His face was bloodied and bruised, his nose had probably been broken. His torso was stained with red and his hands were set in an awkward way, merely broken as well. What the bloody hell did Lucius do to him?

Blaise hurried to his friend's side and tried feeling his pulse. With trembling fingers, he had pinpointed the pulsation, just as one of the blonde's eyes flew open. He tried saying something, but the phrase was undecipherable.

"It's because of Hermione, isn't it?" Whispered the dark skinned boy, still shocked.

"Yes." He muttered, "But don't worry mate, I've learned my lesson this time." Before breaking again, and a lonely tear slipped from his eye. It was the most heartbreaking sight Blaise had ever seen.

Before him, lay a broken boy. A boy that was once strong and reckless, was now broken to pieces. And nothing could put him back together.

Then, Draco sent him the weakest smile.

 _End of the flashback_

OOOO

It had been a week since they've gone back to Hogwarts for their second year. And Blaise was worried about Draco again. His mate didn't sleep, nor did he eat. Last time he had ingested something, was three days ago, and it was a piece of toast, before going to his Potions class in a hurry.

The Italian asked the blonde multiple times if anything had bothered him but the answer was always negative. He hoped that at some point, Draco would admit to missing Hermione, but that hadn't happened yet. Blaise knew for a fact that his two friends haven't heard from each other all summer. Draco didn't owl her, and neither did she.

Blaise owled Hermione every week, telling her how he and Draco were and what reckless things they had done that week. She often sent him howlers, screaming at him for doing such foolish things and risking getting himself and Draco gravely injured. Blaise missed the bossy side of Hermione, and regretted not being able to see her, and he was sure that his blonde mate felt the same way, even if he'd never admit it.

When Blaise left the Great Hall one night, heading straight to his dorm, he had found Draco laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"When was the last time you ate?" Asked Blaise, annoyed at his friend's sulking.

The latter shrugged, "I'm not hungry mate." Then he turned his back to Blaise.

"For Salazar's sake, Draco! I can't stand this anymore, you're constantly moping around, starving yourself." He waited for a reaction, but continued when he didn't get any.

"I get that you miss her and that you want to talk to her. Just bloody do it and move on from this state you're in." At that, Draco flipped back to face Blaise.

"You don't get it. I _can't_ talk to her, not anymore." He looked down.

Blaise didn't get it, at all. " What do you mean?" He asked.

Draco's eyes shifted to his own, and after a long sigh, he started.

"You know, back at the Manor, when Father was... punishing me. He told me that purebloods like myself didn't associate with Mudbloods like Hermione." He flinched at the insult, "He said that if he ever caught wind that I had gotten friendly with her again, he would pay her a visit ,-next time he came to Hogwarts-, to... you know... get properly acquainted." Draco's voice broke, and he fell back on his back.

Blaise got it now. Draco could never be the same, not with her at least. That's why he had been brooding this past week. Draco hadn't spoken to her, let alone look at her since they've gone back to school.

"I get it, mate. But you should stop with the food deprivation and sulking, you're driving me insane. You should come out tomorrow, not just for classes I mean, come have breakfast with Theo and I, he has been asking why you haven't been yourself lately, Pansy has been as well, though you probably don't care much about her. The poor woman is pestering me constantly about your state." He laughed at the memory, and surprisingly, so did Draco.

"Fine. I reckon she'll probably bite my head off for not talking to her soon." He laughed again. Blaise had missed this.

Maybe Draco was slowly putting the pieces back together. Maybe he would be okay after all.

OOOO

They were in the Great Hall, for breakfast. Hermione had been sitting with Ginny, -Ronald's younger sister-, Ron and Harry at the Gryffindor table. Hermione had met Ginny over the summer, when she had spent a few weeks at the Burrow, visiting Ron. The two girls had become close rather quickly, much to Ron's dislike. Ginny and Hermione had gotten so close, that the latter didn't even spend time with Ron, since she was busy with his sister.

The Golden Quartet had been laughing at Ron's expanse, again. He was stuffing his face with food and it was too hilarious. Wiping her tears of mirth away, Hermione looked over to the Slytherins across the Great Hall. She missed Draco so much, she had heard of him through Blaise, but it was never enough. And besides, school had started a week ago, and Draco seemed to avoid her like the plague.

Her gaze landed on a pair of icy-gray eyes. _His_ eyes. He had been staring at her, searching her eyes, digging for something. Though Hermione couldn't figure out what exactly. She stared back at him, seeing that look in his eyes. The look he had when he spoke to her, or thought of her, or even... looked at her. It was a glint, Hermione found, of admiration and awe maybe.

Then it happened, all at once, she wasn't ready for that. The look in his eyes shifted from something sweet to something... hateful? Hermione's eyebrows furrowed at the mere thought that Draco hated her, it would never happen, would it?

But then, he smirked. That smirk of his hadn't changed, -to Hermione utter pleasure-, but the glint of hatred was still there, in those dreamy gray eyes. That's when it clicked. He had changed over the summer. Something in him had been destroyed and now he wasn't the same. He would never be the same. After clenching his jaw hard enough that Hermione noticed from her seat, he turned away from her.

He wasn't the same Draco she knew last year. This boy was not her friend. Not anymore.

* * *

 _A/N: And another one down. Next chapter, Hermione will be called 'Mudblood' for the first time. Draco starts bullying her, obviously. Blaise tries to tell Hermione what happened to Draco in the summer and why he is acting like this, but she doesn't care anymore._

 _Don't forget to leave feedback!_

 _Thank you, till next time :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Do I even have to write it again?_

* * *

• **Chapter 5** •

 _After a few months of getting hexed_ _and insulted by Malfoy._

She was studying with Blaise and Theo in the library. They repeatedly met there, in secret, for Draco would probably scold them if he caught them together. He had told his two mates to stay away from her, if he couldn't see her, neither could they. Blaise thought it was completely futile, but he knew that Draco was jealous. And he never wanted to be on the bad side of Draco when he was jealous, never again. Last time he surprised Hermione and Blaise, the latter had been in a hospital bed for two whole days.

Theo never followed Draco's orders, especially when they were _that_ childish. Who was _he_ to tell anyone what they could and couldn't do? He kept talking to Hermione for months, as did Blaise. She had become one of their best friends, they weren't ready to part ways, not yet anyway.

Every so often, they would meet in the library, in the far back section, away from anyone who could spot them and start rubbish rumors, that Draco would end up hearing. It was a lot of work, they had to be on guard constantly and they could never speak to Hermione when they were in public. Blaise and Theo were also Draco's best mates, and they didn't want to hurt him, but they wouldn't lose Hermione over his pureblood rubbish. All they _could_ do, in public, was look at each other, but not for too long. And smiling was strictly forbidden.

Consequently, they worked on assignments and papers. Hermione found that those Slytherin boys were more productive than her Gryffindor friends, who never went to the library with her. Well, they never had to, since they didn't have to meet in secret.

Though it didn't bother her, she would have wanted to be able to see Theo and Blaise outside of their secret place, but that could never happen, not with Draco around, being extremely nosey.

The blonde boy had become her nemesis, her enemy, the bane of her existence. She felt nothing but pure hatred toward him, he had bullied her and attacked her all year, without any remorse.

She hated him, but she still asked about how he was doing. Not that she cared. It was out of mere curiosity. Usually, when she asked about him, either Blaise and Theo would respond with vague answers that he was fine, 'same old Draco'. But he wasn't the 'same old Draco', was he? Maybe with his Slytherin mates, but no one else.

They had been writing on their parchments for over four hours. Hermione was drained.

Dropping her quill, she looked up to see that her friend was still scribbling on his paper, next to him was Blaise, snoring, as he fell asleep on the pile of sheets. Theo didn't seem tired whatsoever. Hermione was trembling with fatigue. Not wanting to question his nearly superhuman concentration proficiency, she fell back on the chair.

With a loud sigh, she started putting her things away in her brown leather bag. Theo glanced over and saw her preparing to leave, she had bags under her eyes and frown lines around her mouth. She didn't look well at all, maybe she was ill. Why would she not get any rest?

Distracting himself from his thoughts, he smiled at her while she got up to leave and she flashed him a similar smile, though hers seemed forced.

"I'll see you later Theo." She sayed, before waving as she turned and left.

She left him staring at her back, wondering if her restlessness had something to do with a certain blonde.

She was slowly walking back to her common room when she heard his voice. The only voice she was able to pick out of the crowd. A feeling lurched in her stomach, fear most likely. She knew that wherever Draco was, his posse followed as well. The noise sounded like his laughter, thought it appeared fake. She knew trouble awaited when he was near. She started walking faster. She had to get away. Fast.

 _Trouble._

 _Trouble._

 _Trou-_

She turned the corner rapidly, hoping to avoid any sort of predicament, when she ran into something hard. Gasping, she stared up and met Goyle's dark eyes. She heard him chuckle, a sound that made her body twitch with disgust. Hiding well her revulsion, she glared at them. All of them, except Malfoy, she avoided looking at him, for she might have a burst out screaming at him.

"Well would you look at that! If it isn't Gryffindor's little know-it-all bookworm." Snickered Pansy with her shrill voice.

Hermione hadn't missed the scowl Malfoy sent Parkinson. It was subtle enough for the three of them to notice it, Crabbe and Goyle oblivious to it all. She didn't realize though, that the latter had been holding her arms back. She tried pulling away just as Malfoy made his way to her.

After a few seconds that seemed infinite, Goyle moved out of the way, letting her go. Straightening her back to stretch it, she was promptly slammed to the wall, hard. It was as if he was trying to push her _into_ the wall. Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson stepped behind Draco, who was now standing in front of her, pinning her. She had quickly become conscious of the fact that the blonde was rather strong. She attempted to free one of her hands that he had been holding against the wall, but she couldn't flinch.

"Watch where you're going. You filthy little Mudblood." He sneered, that glint of disgust in his cold gray eyes piercing through her own. He was staring at her, looking deep into her chocolate brown eyes, challenging her to defy him. He looked amused. What the bloody hell was so amusing?

As he stepped even closer, Hermione tried freeing herself, again, but she was still unable to move. She abandoned all hope when that last shred of dignity had left her. The bushy-haired Gryffindor stared into those gray eyes, narrowing her own. She was really good at hiding what she truly felt under her deadpan face.

"What are you looking at, Mudblood, seeing something you like?" He whispered that last bit, only for her to hear, before he smirked as he rubbed slow circles with his thumbs on her inner wrist.

His almost affectionate touch sent chills down her spine, making her shiver. And then his smirk. She had loved that smirk, a long time ago. Now, it made her want to vomit. It was all an act, it was all fake.

Finding an ounce of bravery, she forced a chuckle, which left the blonde thoroughly astounded. He didn't know that the little lioness had such backbone. He would never tell anyone, but he was exceptionally pleased with her.

"You wish, Malfoy!" She mumble harshly, knowing very well that he was the only one who had heard her.

He looked taken aback, but also proud. Why the hell would he be proud? He isn't, its all lies to mess with her mind. She wouldn't try to hide it, it worked. She was absolutely befuddled.

Draco was facing Hermione, his back turned to his friends. What he did next was both terrifying and reassuring at the same time, quite an odd feeling to experience. It merely made Hermione want to sob, right then and there, in front of all the people who would relish causing her pain. She couldn't even care anymore. What he did was worse than all the physical pain he had caused was the worst thing he could have possibly done to her. It nearly broke her. If she hadn't held on to the hate she felt for him, she certainly would have broken.

He smiled.

He bloody _smiled_ at her!

It was small and it was beautiful, like it always had been. It was barely noticeable, but it was there, only for her to see. It was stunning. With all the pain he had inflicted on her over these past months, with all the hate and disgust he had looked at her with, this smile was her savior, her hope, her light at the end of the tunnel. It was a mere glimpse of the old Draco, it gave her hope. Hope that he was still in there, somewhere, lost inside this shell of this expressionless boy. Hope that he still cared.

And then it all came crashing down as the smile left his face. It was replaced by a look of loathing.

She couldn't get her hopes up anymore. It was over. There was nothing left to hope for. She finally gave up, after all the pain she had lived through this year. He wasn't worth it anymore.

The same blank expression on his face was back, as he pushed away from her and pulled out his wand, probably to hex her. She just didn't care. Nothing could be worse than letting him finally go.

She felt unshed tears prickle her eyes, she took in a deep breath, trying to fight them off with all she had left.

Malfoy had hurt her physically before, it was painful, but nothing she couldn't handle. She took another deep breath, waiting for whatever was going to hit her next and closing her eyes, to push back the tears.

"Densaugeo" he muttered.

Hermione felt a growing pain in her mouth, her teeth had been grotesquely elongated by the hex. She couldn't close her mouth, since her abnormally large teeth had taken up all the space.

She opened her tearful eyes, meeting his empty icy ones.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to scream at _him._

Instead, she crumbled on the cold stone floor of the hallway, bowing her head to hide her tear-stained cheeks.

Then, she heard the echoes of their fleeting footsteps.

OOOO

It took her nearly an hour to walk back to the Gryffindor common room. She had been wandering the halls, weeping. Why did everything get so complicated? That was the question she couldn't find an answer to, and the know-it-all inside was supremely annoyed at that. Not being able to find an accurate response was a pain in her neck.

As she found her way to the common room, she had no idea that the blonde haired boy with stormy eyes had followed her to see make sure she was alright after their previous altercation. Not that he could go and comfort her if the answer was negative, no that he _wanted_ to comfort her, _-she's still a Mudblood-_ but he wanted to check. For his peace of mind and all.

Before walking through the portrait hole of the Fat Lady, she cast a quick Scourgify on her face, to remove any trace of tears. When she stepped inside, the room was empty, except for her two best friends who sat on the couch in front of the fireplace.

She went to sit next to them. Hermione always found comfort when sitting between Harry and Ron. It was like the space was made for her. When she was in that precise spot, she felt all her worries fade away, if only for a few moments. She assumed that that was how best friends made you feel, without even trying or knowing the effect on her.

"Hermione?" Asked Harry, a little worried. "I know you're probably quite tired at the moment, but I wanted to know if you found anything about that thing in the Chamber of Secrets, and it's ok if you haven't, I was just wondering, you know, with people being petrified and all-"

She interrupted him. "Harry, of course I found something!" She looked at the two boys before continuing. "The creature in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk!" She announced eagerly.

Ron was dumbfounded and Harry was looking completely shocked, and lost. So, she did what she did best, recited what she had discovered in the _Book Of Creatures at Hogwarts_.

"The Basilisk can grow up to fifty feet in length, and is a dark green colour with large yellow eyes. These eyes have the power to instantly kill anyone who looks into them. Basilisk skin is armored like that of a dragon's, which deflects spells cast upon it. The Basilisk sheds its skin at intervals, like all other snakes, when it grows. Basilisks can live a natural life of at least-"

She was abruptly disrupted by Ron. "Blimey! There is bloody giant snake roaming the corridors! Where the hell did it come from anyway, I thought the chamber was closed for ever years ago."

"It was, but it seems someone has reopened it." Mumble Harry, his voice blank, as he was obviously lost in his reverie.

"The thing is," Hermione continued. "The students that were petrified were not killed when they came across the Basilisk, because they didn't look into its eyes directly. They looked at its reflection!" She shrieked, it all made sense now.

"And, when Colin Creevey got petrified, he had seen the snakes eyes through the lens of his camera. It was similar with Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff in our year. He was talking to Nearly Headless Nick in the hallway, when he saw the Basilisk. He saw it _through_ the ghost." She cheered when the boys finally understood what she was saying.

"Brilliant! As long as we don't look at it directly, we don't get killed, seems fair." mocked the redhead. To Hermione's surprise, Harry scolded him, before changing the subject.

"We ought to warn Dumbledore in the morning. I think for now, we better get to bed." As they all got up, he grabbed Hermione's arm, gently pulling her back.

"Go ahead Ron, I just need to ask Hermione something about our Potions paper." He nodded at his friend as he left, leaving him and Hermione alone in the dimly lit common room.

She looked at him, waiting for him to speak. He released her arm as he sat back down on the couch.

"What happened tonight Hermione? You came in late, looking mildly distraught. Did Malfoy do something again?" He asked her, not even attempting to hide the evident worry in his voice.

"I just ran into him and his posse, nothing else happened, he didn't hurt me." She lied. She didn't find it necessary to tell Harry that she was heartbroken by the realization that she had lost Draco forever, it was stupid. And there was nothing but pure spite between them.

Harry knew his best friend was lying to him, but he didn't want to push her. Hermione would tell him if she felt the need to, he was always there for her. And always would be, unconditionally.

As he rose again, he pulled her into a tight hug that made her heat warm.

"I love you Hermione, good night." He smiled nicely at her.

She placed a small kiss on his cheek before pulling away from him.

"I love you too Harry." She really did love him, so much. He was like the brother she never had, so was Ron for that matter. But she never got so intimate with him, for he would get awkward and start stuttering.

The young Gryffindors parted ways and headed straight for their beds.

It didn't take long for them to fall into a deep sleep. All their woes were forgotten then, if only until the next day would come, and create chaos all over again.

OOOO

He flung the door to his dorm room open before storming in and slamming it shut behind him. His mated, Theo and Blaise, had been watching him silently as he threw himself onto his bed.

"Everything alright mate?" Questioned Theo, though he already knew the answer.

Draco groan a response, which either of the other two understood.

"Right, well whatever that means, I'm going to bed." added Blaise, slightly amused by his friend's animalistic reply. He knew what troubled his friend, but he couldn't do anything to help. He wouldn't no anything to help. Draco was a total git, and he pushed Hermione away all on his own. He put up an act just to be able to speak to her, even if it caused them both pain.

Draco let his father control him, and he was letting himself be manipulated by all that pureblood superiority rubbish Lucius was feeding him.

The Italian got dragged away from his thoughts, when Draco spoke into the darkness of their dorm as they all lay in their beds.

"I feel like every time I hurt her, I lose a piece of myself. And I'll never get those pieces back." It was barely audible, but both Blaise and Theo heard it. Neither spoke, for there was nothing left for them to say.

The blonde was an absolute sod. He knew it, and so did the rest of the school. He pretended to hate Hermione because of her blood status, but was all the hatred fake anymore?

The last look he saw in her magnificent eyes was that of loathing. She loathed him, and he did too, for making her abhor his existence.

The worst part was, he felt the same way about her, for not seeing through his lies.

* * *

 _A/N: Dun dun duuuun..._

 _I felt like my chapters weren't long enough, therefore I have decided to write more! (duh)_

 _Anyways, next chapter, we will find ourselves in fourth year, where_ _their teenage hormones will be through the roof and things get slightly out of control. ;)_

 _**For their last three years before the final battle, the chapters will be longer and very spread across time, there will be no more skipping years.**_

 _Thank you, till next time :)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine._

* * *

• **Chapter 6** •

 _He heard screaming across the hall._

 _Then it instantly stopped._

 _Thinking it was probably a dream, he fell back asleep._

 _Merely five minutes in, he got stirred_ _awake by the same roaring noises. What the hell was that?_

 _Sitting up in his sheets, trying to listen in on the screams. They were a woman's screams. His mother._

 _He jumped out_ _of bed and hurried toward the door. What was his plan? What was he going_ _to do once he found her? it didn't matter, he would figure it out as he went along._

 _He ran over to his bedside to pick up his wand from under his pillow, he always slept with it there, for he_ _never knew when he might_ _need it._

 _As he turned to walk out of his room, someone burst in through the door and silently locked it behind her._

 _The woman was wearing a black nightgown, her dark brown hair was disheveled and she had bruises all over her long pale arms. She was making disturbing breathing noises. He lifted up his wand to clear up her airways with a rapid 'Anapneo'._

 _She_ _ran over to her son, clamping_ _onto_ _his arms firmly._

 _"Listen to me Theodore, when your father comes, you will not fight him." She said sternly, but she wasn't hiding the fear in her features very well._

 _"Mum-_ _I- what is happening?" He demanded. He was terrified. Not only did he know of his father's insanity, but he had seen it first hand._

 _Mr. Nott was a horrible father who mistreated his wife and son for years, causing them to live in constant fear and submission. Theo's mother would try to reason him when he got out of hand, but it often ended badly for her. Badly indeed._

 _Theodore's father made him watch as he Cruicioed his mother for punishment. He was punishing_ _her for defending her only child. This monster of a father made his son watch as he drove his wife to the brink of madness, over and over again. Letting her recuperate enough to push her to her limits again._

 _"Theodore, I don't have time to explain. But promise me than when it's_ _over, you will not fight him. Please son, be the man your father could never be." She begged as she was overcome by_ _tears and fell down her bloodied cheeks._

 _Theo froze, he knew what she meant. He knew his father would kill her. Finish the job once and for all._

 _"When he comes, you will let me go." She whispered, she was out of breath and shaking. They were both shaking._

 _He couldn't say anything, so he did the only thing he could in that God forsaken_ _moment._

 _He pulled his_ _mother into his arms. He was taller and stronger than her. He had gotten that way during the summer when he finally grew into a man._

 _Holding his mother tightly into an embrace as they both cried, he felt her tears wet his shirt._

 _For one last time, he kissed the top of her head and looked down at her red face. Her hazel eyes were filled with love and adoration for her son._

 _He loved his mother more than anything in the world, and now, she would be taken away for him. And all he will have left will be a monster. A_ _monster that had rid him of the only good in his life._

 _As they looked at each other, time seemed to stop._

 _They were trapped in a timeless bubble, for one last time._

 _They didn't hear the loud thumping of his father's footsteps coming straight to his room._

 _They didn't hear the door explode as he came through it with a mad look plastered on his figure._

 _Still holding his mother tight, never letting her go. He looked up to meet his father's_ _psychotic stare._

 _He knew it was coming as he heard his mother whisper to him one last time._

 _"I love you, Theodore."_

 _They held each other. They didn't let go._

 _They didn't hear a hoarse voice scream the Death Curse and they didn't see the green flash of light land on_ _his mother's back._

 _They didn't hear anything at all._

 _He felt_ _his mother go limp in his arms. He wouldn't let go. Ever._

 _He fell to the ground, with his dead mother in his arms. He was_ _straddling_ _his mother's corpse, howling in pain. He didn't see his father's grin as he turned and left the room, leaving a destroyed boy holding his fallen mother._

OOOO

"Theo!" He was being shaken awake by a worried Blaise.

He opened a single eye, to see his friend's frightened features relax. Looking over Blaise's shoulder, was an equally terrified Draco.

Theo sat up in his emerald green silk bed sheets that Hermione had gotten him for Christmas last year. He had given her his original copy of _Hogwarts: A History,_ for he didn't want a book of such value to rot away in his sodding house. Blaise had gotten an emerald jumper, which he wore quite often. In return, the Italian had given her the latest Quidditch broom, knowing very well that she would never fly it, and therefore, borrow it constantly for he was the Chaser in their house team.

Their friendship had grown even stronger over the last years. Both Slytherin boys had never taken part in intimidating her. Although, they were oftentimes present during any sort of brawl, but they merely watched.

They had both tried to defend her numerous times, but they would end up taking the hexes instead of her, which they didn't mind at all. It was the least they could do.

They protested without making it obvious that they actually cared for Hermione a great deal. They would take getting all the hexes thrown at her any day, and they did, more often than not.

That was the system they had developed over the years, and all three of them had happily stuck to it.

Sometimes, in class, when Draco and Hermione were in the same class and so was either Blaise or Theo. They could deflect the spells Draco threw at her. That's how they had become rather skilled at wandless magic, for they couldn't pull out their wands and avert the hex openly, someone might see them.

In Snape's class once, Blaise saw Draco throw a Stinging hex at her, and quickly threw a well-aimed 'Protego' without Draco noticing. Though the Italian knew that his blonde mate probably caught on to what they were doing but simply chose ignored it. That theory was entirely wrong.

Blaise and Theo only shared two of the six classes with Draco and Hermione, thus unable to deflect all the curses that Malfoy threw at her. And boy, did he throw them.

Every time they crossed paths or locked eyes across the Great Hall. Her two Slytherin friend were constantly watching her back.

Theo and Blaise didn't doubt what their two friends felt for each other anymore. They did before, but now it was evident that there was nothing left between them but simple hate. For instance, Hermione asked about how Draco was, but it stopped in the middle of their second year, when she had given up hope on the blonde. As for Draco, he didn't seem so depressed nowadays, he had become an emotionless wanker.

He had taken the name of the Slytherin Prince.

All the girls in school were lining up for a chance to snog or shag him, but only a few had achieved their goal.

Draco had shagged Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, the Patil twins and Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's younger sister. One might call Draco Malfoy the school's greatest slag. The notion made Theodore smile.

Snatching him out of his thoughts. "Merlin's sake Nott! Would you mind getting the hell up, I'm bloody starving!" The blonde whore snapped at him as he jumped out of bed.

Blaise came out of the bathroom and Theo hurried in for a quick shower.

OOOO

After only five minutes, the brown haired boy got out of the washroom and got clothed briskly.

Meeting his impatient mates in the common room, they all headed for the Great Hall for breakfast.

They were walking to the table when an annoying shrieking voice called for Draco.

"Drakey!" Pansy waved for them to sit next to her and Daphne. Though she probably didn't give two shits about the other two.

"I thought I made myself clear about the use of that idiotic name." He sneered at her, as he sat down next to Daphne, to Pansy's great deception.

Daphne was staring at an oblivious Theo as he sat down across from her. She and the latter had become somewhat close recently. He found her in their common room, one night, sobbing about the mistake she had made by shagging Malfoy. They talked for almost two hours and it ended with a snog session, they haven't spoken since.

Blaise knew that Daphne had become desperate to speak to Theo, but she didn't push him, and he was thankful for that. Theo was not ready for her, the kiss was an accident, and it couldn't happen again.

As they all sat at the Slytherin table, the tension had become palpable. Blaise looked over at Draco with a pleading look and the blonde returned a quick nod.

"So, are we going to talk about what happened between the two of you." He glanced at Theo and Daphne, the two tensed.

Theo choked on his pumpkin juice. "What are you on about?" He questioned Malfoy who was snickering at his accomplishment.

"Don't play dumb, Theo." Draco narrowed his eyes, waiting for a response. "I'm talking about the snogging session you had with Daphne."

The girl gasped in shock and locked eyes with Theo.

The latter sent Blaise and imploring gaze, begging him to save him from this situation. The Italian got the message loud and clear but shook his head. He wanted to see where this was going.

Stuttering, Daphne spoke. "I-I don't think-" she got interrupted by a furious Theo.

"Nothing happened. Nothing at all." He yelled, as he quickly got up and left his Slytherin friends to stare at his back, as well as the rest of the Great Hall.

OOOO

She watched Theo leave the hall and slamming the doors rather abruptly behind him. Searching for Blaise's eyes for explanation, she met a pair of gray ones instead. He was staring at her, and she caught him in the act.

She caught him staring at her, and he didn't seem merely as bothered as she was.

Ron's voice broke their withering stare. "I've been thinking about this ball thing." He looked over at Hermione. "You're a girl, right? Wouldn't you want to go to the ball with me, Hermione?"

Well if that was his idea of an invitation, he could go ahead and shove it. Besides, Victor Krum had asked her first, and she accepted.

"Sorry Ronald, I'm going with Victor. He actually invited me properly and I said yes!" She glared as she got up to leave. Getting away, she locked eyes, again, with a certain blonde across the hall, and she heard Harry burst out laughing at his friend's misfortune.

Ron was a right git when he wanted. Did he really not notice she was a girl until now?

Anyway, she had other problems, like what happened to Theo...

On her way to find Theo, in the library, she stopped by her dorm to pick up her books.

OOOO

She got to the library fairly quickly, and without encountering any bothersome Slytherins.

She found Theo in his usual seat, and sat in front of him. She looked warily at her friend as he quietly continued scribbling on the parchment, angrily.

Still not looking at her, he pointed out. "Are you going to keep staring or are you going to ask whatever it is you want to?" He growled, visibly irritated.

"Right. Well, what happened this morning?" the bushy-haired Gryffindor Princess questioned shyly.

"Nothing bloody happened." He snapped at her, before regaining his composure. "Sorry, Draco was being a total wanker about what went down with Daphne." He admitted.

She scoffed."What else is bloody new! I swear someday it'll all come crashing down on him, and he'll have no one left to rely on." She vented, but quickly reassured Theo. "You know, if you like her, you should tell her, maybe you'll be lucky enough and she'll feel the same way."

"I already know how she feels. She's been trying to talk to me since it happened last week." he fell back against his chair.

"And you've been avoiding her like the plague _why_?" She asked. Theo could be quite slow sometimes, but she knew he was just afraid, for whatever reason.

"I wouldn't call it avoiding. Maybe ignoring it would be more adequate." He smiled lightly as he saw the confused look on Hermione's face. "I'm just not sure I want any of that relationship rubbish, maybe someday, but for now, you're the only woman in my life." He chuckle at her annoyed figure.

She threw her quill at him and burst out laughing as well. She understood then that it was true, she really was the only girl in his life, well the only one that really mattered. She felt an immense honor at the realization.

Noticing her pleased expression, he asked, "What's got you grinning like a schoolgirl all of a sudden?" Grinning himself.

She giggled and added, "Theo, I _am_ a schoolgirl. And I just became aware that I have the best possible friends this world could offer." she smirked at him, before opening her Transfiguration book to read up on human-to-animal transmutation.

They sat undisturbed in the library for two hours, since they had a free morning, before they parted ways to get lunch.

OOOO

Heading back to his dorm, he was stopped in his tracks by an awaiting Pansy.

"You know, there's no one here." She suggested seductively. Draco found Pansy to be very attractive, when she kept her mouth shut. She had straight dark brown hair that fell over her shoulders perfectly and beautiful blue eyes. She was pretty on the outside, but on the inside, she was repulsive. She annoyed the wits out of Draco, especially. Luckily for him, when they were shagging, she only moaned or screamed his name, which didn't bother him, _too much_.

When he didn't respond, she made her way to him and stood inches away from him, feeling his breath on her chin as he towered over her.

He grabbed her hips aggressively and pushed her down onto the nearest couch and swiftly threw off his shirt. Her hands roamed over his muscled torso. He had grown into his Seeker body quite well, and he knew it too. As he trailed his hands under her untucked shirt, she grabbed his hair and pulled his face down to meet his lips. They smashed together harshly, making both of them groan. As they devoured each others lips, he cast a quick spell, stripping them of their remaining clothing.

Her little moaning sounds made him instantly hard, he was a horny teenage boy after all and a moaning girl, lying underneath him, had and inevitable effect. He kissed her again, as he inserted two digits inside her to see if she was ready for him. She was, her mere moans confirmed it. Grabbing hold of her writhing hips, he pushed himself inside her, making them both groan in pleasure. He started moving in and out of her slowly, each thrust going deeper and deeper. She started moaning louder and louder, the mere sound made Draco want to cast a Silencing charm on her, which he did. He gripped her shoulders and turned her around, her back facing him. He pulled completely out of her, and with a painful thrust, he started pounding into her. The noise of skin smacking was getting quicker and louder. Pansy was a good shag. No, she was an _okay_ shag. Pansy was the only one Draco had sex with more than once, for she was always predisposed to him. When he fancied a quickie, she was the first to comply.

As he kept hammering into her, searching for his release, his mind drifted off to a certain bushy-haired Mudblood. He caught himself thinking about her in more ways than none. Certainly his hormones were making him randy for anything with breasts and a pair of legs, apparently, that qualified even Hermione- _bloody_ -Granger. He, being a horny adolescent, noticed that she had grown into a very beautiful girl, though he would never admit that aloud. He sometimes found himself thinking about her in the shower, which led to nothing good. Actually, what it led to was _very_ good. Thinking about her while stroking himself made him come harder than when he was jumping another girl. Even when he was pounding into some desperate bint, his mind still wandered off to her, and he imagined himself shagging _her_. That was the only way he found his release.

As it came on, stronger than ever, he latched onto Pansy's hair as he tumbled over the edge of ecstasy. Dragging her along with him as they both groaned loudly. He lifted the charm off of her as he stumbled next to her on the couch, closing his eyes and catching his breath.

As he slowly opened them up again, he found her staring at him, a proud look on her face. What the hell was she bloody proud of?

She had no merit. None of them did.

He got up to gather his clothes and head to bed, when she opened her mouth to speak. Not wanting to hear her shrill voice at the moment, he cut her off.

"Good night, Pansy, I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled as he finally left. He didn't even look back, for there was nothing to look back _at_.

That night, he fell asleep, completely sated, thanks to his nuisance of an enemy, his Mudblood.

* * *

 _A/N: I've been rather productive today!_

 _In the next chapter, Daphne will have enough of waiting around, Hermione will have an interesting run-in with Draco and Blaise may or may not meet a blonde haired Ravenclaw._

 _Thank you, till next time :)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine._

* * *

 **• Chapter 7 •**

Lee Jordan's adenoidal voice was piercing through all the screams and applause of the roaring crowd. "And Slytherin's Keeper, Marcus Flint, stops the Quaffle." The house's supporters were screaming his name as he blocked yet another one. Blaise and Malfoy were tailing their respective Ravenclaw as the blonde saw the Snitch. If he caught it, Slytherin would win 160-40. Ravenclaws have been playing dreadfully since the beginning of the match, much to every house's dismay, except Slytherin of course.

"Draco Malfoy seems to have spotted the Snitch, if he catches it now, they win." he took a deep breath, before making his unwanted opinion known, "Ravenclaws, now would be the right time to actually start playing." He lectured.

Lee Jordan was a babble mouth, he never shut up, his position as Quidditch commentator fit him perfectly, and so did his house –Hufflepuff-, Draco thought. He hated all Hufflepuffs. Actually, he hated everyone but his fellow Slytherins.

Theo had come to watch the game, per his friends' requests. He nearly never went to any of the Quidditch matches, he hated the bloody sport, but he did go, however, when Slytherin's played _._

He was supposed to work on their essay with Hermione, but she had told him she could do it by herself and he could look at it afterwards. She secretly wanted to go with Theo to support Blaise, but surely Malfoy would not appreciate it. He would _absolutely_ not appreciate it.

It's been three years, and he still hadn't figured out that his two mates were also good friends with Hermione, to her surprise. She knew the blonde was smart, he was second after her in their year, after all, but she couldn't help but doubt his ignorance, she couldn't help but think that he was simply disregarding the fact. _Why?_

The bullying never ceased, if anything, it worsened. She noticed he was more abusive when they were alone. It was better to avoid being caught in a situation where she wouldn't have someone with her to defend her if need be. And often times, it was.

OOOO

Hermione was roaming the halls after dinner, like she enjoyed doing after her last meal of the day. She appreciated being alone with her thoughts while wandering around the corridors of Hogwarts. She was thinking of ways to help Harry with his next task for the Tournament as she rounded a corner, her head in the clouds, she bumped into something hard and fell back on her backside on the impact and dropped her book bag in a loud thud.

Still in pain, she picked up her belongings and quickly stood, to find a lean Draco Malfoy looking down at her with his usual unreadable expression. She had to step back for he was far too close for comfort, his warm breath on her face was unnerving. He smelled of spices and burning wood, much like Blaise, but in a darker, deeper way. Trying to stop her train of thought, she snapped unnaturally.

"For Merlin's sake! Malfoy, why are you constantly around?" Her temper rising dangerously. She had stepped closer to him and stood on her tiptoes, to reach his eye level. She gasped when she saw she depth of his icy orbs. She saw how his pupils dilated as his heartbeat quickened with anger, she assumed.

He was furious. He knew he had a talent at hiding what he felt inside, and he often used it to his advantage. He still didn't understand why she was fighting him, arrogant Mudblood bitch. He hated her with every fiber of his being, she was condescending and maddening, she was incessantly flaunting her superior intellect to everyone else in the room, she knew she was the smartest of the whole lot, and she made it obvious to everybody who would listen. Draco had hexed her multiple times to teach her a lesson, but ironically, she still didn't get it.

The way she had just spoken to him, like _he,_ Draco Malfoy, was the filth of the earth, when really, it was the other way around. A uncontrollable burst of rage had taken over him, and rendered him senseless as he lunged at her, grabbed her neck and pinned her to the wall. He was livid, Hermione could see the madness in his eyes. It took her a few seconds of panic and the Gryffindor bravery she was born with kept her mindful of the situation, she was being choked by Malfoy.

She couldn't hold back the shattering scream that escaped her. At that precise moment, she regretted being who she was, how she was. For a split second, she wished she wasn't Hermione Granger, mudblood. She realized just how much she hated him, for making her question her own existence.

Attempting to stifle her screams, he tightened his grip on her neck, trying to leave a bruise, as a mere reminder of who was superior.

"You better watch your fucking mouth, you piece of shit. Mudbloods like you have no right speaking to us purebloods like you have." He hissed. "Do you hear me, you filth? You will never speak to me in that snobbish tone again, or so help me Salazar, I will rid this earth of yet another ungrateful mudblood." Smashing her head against the hard stone wall. She groaned in pain as her head was pounding, her heart raced.

She was clawing at his pale wrists, she was starting to suffocate and she couldn't speak. He didn't flinch, which only made her panic shoot through the roof. She was staring right through him, tears rising up as she was gasping for a breath that wouldn't come. He pushed her again, making her cry out in pain. His tight fingers still wrapped around her delicate neck were holding her up, lifting her from the ground. In an attempt to tell him he was strangulating her, she wriggled her feet into thin air, but it was hopeless, he didn't see her pleads, she thought.

Draco saw the fear in her eyes, he was choking her. _Really_ choking her.

He couldn't let her go know, she'll think he gave a shit. He didn't. He _didn't._ The Mudblood deserves it. _No she doesn't, not this._ He snapped at his inner self.

He didn't want to choke her, it was just to rile her up, but she had made him so angry, he had lost control. He thought of a quick plan to let her go without creating doubts. The blonde tightened his grip and lifted her from the cold floor, it would allow her to move her feet, maybe kick him for good measure. He waited, staring at her beautiful brown eyes. _Shit, disgusting. Not beautiful._

She barely moved. The hold she had on his wrists had loosened and she was turning crimson.

'Move, Granger! _Fucking move._ ' He thought, shivering with worry.

Her eyes fluttered shut, depriving him of her golden brown orbs. He was panicking. This was not how it was supposed to go. This was supposed to be another one of their futile arguments he loved to have, with _her._ He loved provoking her, she always fell for it.

But this time, he had gone about it all wrong, he wasn't supposed to hurt her like this. He had hurt her before, but he knew she could handle it. He was choking her. _Killing_ her.

His grip on her neck slackened, he delicately slid her down to the floor. She still had her eyes closed and he could feel her slow pulse. As he let go of her soft neck, she dropped to the floor. She was unconscious, he had knocked her out.

" _Fuck_." He gasped as he kneeled down next to her limp body. He gently shook her shoulder, but when she didn't respond, he pulled her into his arms and got to his feet and started walking toward the Gryffindor common room, fast. The contact of her smooth skin should have revulsed him, but it didn't, it couldn't. He hated her, he really did. But she was still the most stunning girl he had ever met, too bad she was a Mudblood.

"Granger!" He whispered loudly, trying to awake her. When she didn't answer he started running. He was quivering, with the bloody bane of his existence in his arms.

He hadn't heard her barely audible moan.

He didn't notice her flutter an eye open and see he was carrying her.

She had fainted, and now she was clearly dreaming. She was dreaming about a panicked Malfoy holding her in his strong arms as he whispered the password to her common room and hurried up the stairs to her dorm. Where was she? As she felt her brain pounding again, she caught a glimpse of a sleeping Lavender. He had brought her to her own room? _How? Why?_

He probably shagged some Gryffindor recently, thus inquiring the passcode. She assumed.

As he got to her bed, he deposited Hermione on her bed, almost... carefully? _'No way.'_

Guessing she was asleep, he sat down on the bed next to her and leaned over to tuck a wild curl behind her ear, just like he used to do, years ago.

'This is definitely the most disturbing dream I've ever had.' She speculated silently.

He shoved closer to Hermione and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before getting up and turning his back and leaving. She tried reaching out for his arm, but she wasn't quick enough.

'Draco, is that you?' She thought, aloud.

She had accidently spoken these words and made him go rigid. He looked over his squared shoulder at her and whispered "You're dreaming, Hermione."

And then, he was gone.

What an odd dream, it seemed so real, yet how could it be?

OOOO

The Yule Ball was right around the corner, two days away to be exact. Hermione's mum sent her a periwinkle dress with ruffles on the shoulders, for she would be attending the dance with the legendary Victor Krum and she had to look ravishing, like her mother put it. Hermione couldn't care less about a ball, but she had been asked nicely and she felt she might even enjoy herself. Besides, every girl in her year resented her for going with the handsome Bulgarian, and she relished it.

The Gryffindor Princess had been a messenger owl for Harry and Ron for a week now, and she grew bored of their little spat. Ronald still couldn't comprehend that his friend had joined the Triwizard Tournament without telling him. Even if Harry had nothing to do with it, he was only setup, Ron would not hear it. She would never understand boys, and she accepted that fact.

But, she was tired and angry.

Hermione hadn't seen Blaise and Theo since she told them about that peculiar dream she had about Malfoy. Both of them had been keeping their distance from her, not wanting to make the blonde wary, and by extension, keep him away from Hermione.

Theo and Blaise were extremely protective of her, more so than Harry and Ron. The two latter were a bit more oblivious as to how Malfoy had been treating her. They were there when he called her names and threw cruel insults at her, but they didn't know about the violence. And she didn't want to tell them, she already dragged Nott and Zabini into this, she thought she would spare her other two friends.

They were studying in the library that day. She went into an aisle to search for a book on Charms used to change one's appearance when Blaise followed her and started asking questions.

"Hermione, what happened to your neck?" He inquired, looking at her like he already knew the answer.

She shrugged before saying, "Someone accidentally threw a hex at me in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You're a horrible liar." He admitted. "It's him, isn't it? That stupid git did this to you, didn't he?" He snapped, looking irritated as ever.

"Blaise, I don't think-" she stopped when Blaise stormed out of the library, infuriated.

He ran into the Slytherin's common room searching for Draco.

His raging gaze landed on a platinum blonde head. He walked toward Malfoy and pounced on with, pinning him to the ground with his punches.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER! Aren't you sick of pretending? Aren't you sick of hurting her?" He yelled between punches.

Draco didn't fight back, he deserved it. He really was sick of it all. So he laid there, taking hit after hit. It was payback for all the years he had caused _her_ pain.

After bloodying his friend's face, Blaise stopped as suddenly as he started. He got up and pulled Draco up with him. Finding that the blonde couldn't stand on his feet properly, he pushed him down on a chair and made to exit through the portrait hole when Malfoy finally broke the silence.

"It's the only way I can be near her. It's the only way I can have her attention. I'm sorry." It was barely a whisper, but Blaise heard it loud and clear as he left his shattered friend behind.

OOOO

She waited for him in the hallway, her back leaning on the wall and her legs stretched out. She was fiddling with her hands while she recited the speech she had rehearsed for him.

She waited for what seemed to be eternity. The library was closing in ten minutes was growing impatient to speak to him, after being ignored for days. She walked around in circles preparing meticulously her words. The message had to be clear and he had to understand.

Everyone in her life had put her on a pedestal, expecting her to be perfect, in every way. She was, almost. She ranked third after Granger and Draco, she was one of the most beautiful girls in school. She had it all, yet it wasn't near enough.

She was tired of people treating her as if she was a delicate flower that would break at the slightest touch. She was sick of being treated like a superior. She was sick of it all.

Up until she met him. He didn't treat her like everybody else had. He treated her like an equal. She found him inexplicably mysterious. He seemed to always know everything about everything, yet he appeared to be completely lost.

She had been ripped out of her reverie when the heavy library door opened.

She pushed away from the wall when she saw him coming out, followed by the know-it-all Gryffindor princess. They said something to each other before parting ways, Granger was heading left, and he was walking straight for her. Though he clearly didn't see her waiting for him as he came closer and closer to her.

He had his nose stuck in a book. She couldn't help the fluttering feeling her heart, he looked adorable like this. They were a few steps away from each other, and he still didn't acknowledge her.

She stepped closer to him and his head snapped up. His emerald eyes finding her blue ones, almost instinctively.

He felt a pinch in his chest when he realized who was standing in front of him. The guilt made his stomach flip. He had avoided her for days, and now, she was standing in front of him, rendering him speechless.

Not seeing her for so long was driving him to the edge of insanity. Pushing her the way he had been was extremely hard for him. He didn't want to do this to her, but he needed to, he couldn't have another woman in his life and then losing her. She was better off without him, and so was he. This need to be alone was stronger than him. He had Hermione, Blaise and Draco. Three people, he could deal with. And even then, it was sometimes hard. Adding _her_ into this would screw everything up. He had to keep ignoring her, it was for the best.

He turned away from her, starting to walk away when he felt a delicate hand on his arm push him violently towards the wall. He turned to stare at his aggressor. Her face was contorted with anger, she was uninhibited.

She kept shoving him into the wall. He stood there, immobile, waiting for her to let it all out. She slapped him once, hard. He still didn't move. He was looking into those breathtaking eyes of hers, he saw them full of unshed tears. She had stopped her attack and gaped at him.

He missed her so much. He missed being around her, talking to her, being her friend. And he saw she felt the same.

As a lonesome tear made its way down her flawless cheek, he moved his hand to cup her face and brush away every tear that stained her stunning face. The mere action made her shiver. He didn't want this, he didn't want her to be this attached to him. He was the last man on earth that deserved her. He was too fucked up for her.

She stepped away from him, trying to get away. He reached out and pulled her to him, rapping his arms around her and holding her tightly as she sobbed into his shirt.

He was stroking her blonde hair when she looked up at him. He felt that pinch again when he saw the questions in her eyes.

"Don't leave me again, Theodore." She whispered.

He should. He should tell her that he was messed up inside and she should run away from him.

He should. But he didn't want to.

"I won't, Daphne, I promise." He said, before kissing the top of her head.

OOOO

He was flying around the Quidditch pitch on the broom he had given Hermione for Christmas. He was thinking about how messed up his life had gotten.

Blaise Zabini had just beaten up his best mate and left him there. _He fucking deserved it, he deserved worse. Stupid wanker._ He thought.

Blaise had dealt with Malfoy for years. He knew his friend had quite the temper, and he often took it out on his favourite Muggleborn witch, completely ignoring his friend's pleas to leave her alone.

Nott and Zabini controlled him as best they could, but he never listened. He was stubborn, arrogant, and apparently very abusive. _That_ was why he had gotten a shiner from the fist of his best friend, he had to be punished. He was completely out of line this time, strangulating Hermione. _Nearly killing her for fuck's sake._

Lost in his thoughts, he had flown over the lake, and was now hovering a few feet away from the water.

He enjoyed the stillness of everything there. It was like time froze still, for just a moment, long enough for him to simply be, before it all came crashing down on he fought everybody else's demons, his own were still tearing him up inside, taking away pieces of him everyday.

He saw a mass of blonde hair move quickly around the trees. Curious, he flew closer and dropped to the ground, grabbing his broom in his left hand. He made his way into the forest, looking for the blonde mass. It was like he was pulled to it, by an inexplicable force.

He stepped around a rather large branch and finally found the mass. It was a girl, with long platinum blonde hair, similar to Draco's. She wore the school robes, so she was a student, but he had never seen her around before. The insignia on her cape indicated that she was a Ravenclaw. He stepped closer to the blonde witch.

It was like she enchanted him. He felt pulled toward her, like a magnet.

He walked next to her slowly, not to scare her away.

They stood next to each other, he was looking at her with wonder and she was staring into thin air, but it appeared as if she was gazing at something. Something only she could see.

Then she smiled, it knocked the air right out of him.

"I'm Luna." She said, her voice dreamy and soft as she turned to look at him.

"I'm Blaise." He whispered, shocked when he met her eyes.

And he was lost in her dreamy features.

* * *

 _A/N: And that is that!_

 _Next chapter: Yule ball and other things..._

 _Hope you enjoyed!_

 _Thank you, till next time ;)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine, sadly._

* * *

• **Chapter 8** •

He heard Theo whisper cautiously, "Should we wake him up?"

"No, leave him, he needs the rest. Let's go, I'm fucking famished. " The unmistakable voice of Blaise Zabini replied, hoarse and slightly sleepy, filled with profanity, even at this early in the day.

He waited until he heard the door shut behind his mates as they left, heading to the Great Hall for breakfast

They didn't know, but Draco had woken up long before, he had just stayed in his bed, eyes closed, contemplating things. He was wondering how his life had gotten so out of control and why he was constantly thinking about...

He was thinking of Granger.

Thought this time, it wasn't because he was planning their next encounter, it was because he was planning to avoid her, to ignore her, for the rest of their lives. He decided to ignore the pang in his chest at the thought, and concluded that he had graced her with his presence enough to last a lifetime. Besides, he couldn't even look at her after what he had done to her.

The sight of her made him ill. Ill with hatred, towards himself.

She had such fire in her eyes, and he watched as it was slowly being put out.

Draco felt more disgusted by himself than he did _her,_ though beyond her dirty blood, she was perfect. He claimed how much he loathed her and muggleborns like herself, but at that moment, he despised himself more, if that was even possible. Everything his father had taught him about blood status over the years had become a part of him, whether he wanted it or not. He had become his father. A replica of the man that tortured his own son to teach him a lesson, the same man that served the Dark Lord. Draco had always been proud to be like his father, until now.

He wished that just for a second, he would be someone else, someone like Blaise, who never had to worry about his reputation or all that dim-witted pureblood rubbish and just do whatever the _fuck_ he fancied. And more often than not, he fancied talking to the lioness. He fancied being around her, being able to look at her without having to insult her if he was caught staring longer than necessary. But that would never happen, because he had been manipulated into hating her and driving her away.

He relinquished the thought. He buried it away in the darkest corner of his mind, but deep down, Draco knew he had lost Hermione the moment he listened to his father, that wretched summer, and that was the biggest regret he would ever have to live with. She would never look at him the same way as she did so long ago. She would never know how sorry he was for all the pain he had caused her. She would never know that after their bickering sessions, he would follow her to make sure she was alright.

She never was, but he _still_ waited in a dark corner for her to get to the Gryffindor common room – _to Potter and Weaselbee-_ safely. She would also never know of the few times he had stopped an unfortunate run in with a raging Pansy from getting to her. He flinched at the memory of one of their hapless meetings.

He had just spoken with Hermione that night, and as usual, she ended up in tears in an dusty hall. He had followed her, _of course_. He was always there with her, _for_ her, but she couldn't know. He was sitting on the cold stone floor, his head leaning against the wall and listening to the little sobbing sounds she made. Draco would never admit it truly, but he hated it when she cried, for any reason at all and _especially_ when he was the cause.

She had been weeping for nearly twenty minutes when he heard Pansy's shrill voice, and stood so quickly, his head was throbbing. Ignoring the feeling, he looked over the corner and saw his dark haired, blue eyed, self-proclaimed _girlfriend,_ though to him, she was just a desperate girl who was always around when he happened to need a quick shag to satisfy his needs, when his hand wasn't enough anymore. _Blasted teenage hormones._

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite Mudblood bitch." She sneered, swiftly pulling her wand out of her robes and aiming it at Hermione's chest.

The poor bushy haired girl was curled up on the freezing ground, leaning against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself, her head on her knees while she completely disregarded Parkinson's presence and continued sobbing.

Draco had his wand at the ready, there was no way in hell that he would let _anyone_ hurt Hermione, even bloody Pansy. That was _his_ job. She was his to hurt and torment.

He felt anger and concern well up inside when Pansy muttered a spell. He couldn't make it out properly on her lips, but he had already thrown a _Protego_ at Hermione, just in case.

Not knowing why her spells bounced off of Hermione when she hadn't even acknowledged her attacker's existence, the Slytherin girl was shaking with unspoken rage, there was someone else in the hallway, protecting the Mudblood, she thought. To test her theory, she pointed her wand again.

" _Stupefy_!" she screamed. Nothing happened, the spell was deflected again.

Pansy's shrieking voice was getting louder with each spell. "Petrificus totalus!" Still nothing.

" _Confringo_!" She screamed. " _Densaugeo_!" She waved her wand frantically, " _Levicorpus_!".

Draco had diverted each spell gracefully, he sighed in relief when the attack seemed to cease, but Pansy didn't stop, she would get her way, as she always did.

She stepped closer to Granger and grabbed a fistful of her big chestnut curls and pulled, hard. As her head was violently jerked back, Hermione looked right through Pansy and started giggling. The giggle rapidly turned into maniacal laughter and sent shivers down Parkinson's spine.

She was laughing. _The silly bint,_ he voiced in his head.

Draco couldn't help but smirk. Secretly, he was a little proud of the frizzy haired Gryffindor, she could be quite disturbing when she wanted. Pansy was distracted by Hermione's sudden insanity when Draco hit her with the Memory Charm, modifying the last thirty minutes.

He had completely erased her run in with Hermione for her memory, he altered it to seem as though she had simply wandered around the school, heading to the dungeons and _not_ encountering anyone. After he finished mending Pansy's memories, he watched as her back straightened and her gaze went blank. Then, she turned walked the opposite way as if nothing ever happened, leaving a confused Hermione staring at her back from her seat on the floor.

Draco slumped back against the wall, so much stress had really drained him, and now he still had to follow his Gryffindor to her common room. _His_ Gryffindor? No, she wasn't _his_ , she never will be.

After a while, she got up and moved down the halls, heading straight for her welcoming bed, he confidently assumed. Draco, still lurking about in the shadows, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he had successfully saved Hermione, once again.

Draco had gotten extremely skilled with magic in the last year, what with practicing his jinxes on Granger - _and also protecting her furtively-_ , he had learned pretty much all the offensive and defensive spells in the book on his own. Snape taught him everything else he knew: Occlumancy, Legilimency and nonverbal magic.

He was a Malfoy. Therefore, he was born to be an exceedingly talented wizard. He knew he was good at magic, but he couldn't help but think that Hermione was a close second, even though he was the only one to think so, since most people assumed she was the smartest witch of their year. Draco didn't deny such a statement, she was very smart, book smart.

He was equally as smart, but in another way.

In a much, _much_ darker way.

OOOO

She had woken up with a headache, probably from all the crying from the previous night. Malfoy had made her cry again, he would never know how much his words hurt. They were like knives slashing at her soul, and it hurt. She tried to understand him, his actions were driven by loathing and evil, but his eyes spoke a different story. Those beautiful, haunting eyes. She felt like every time he did something to her, he was trying to tell her something through his eyes, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

Hermione had gotten over the strangulation incident fairly quickly. It didn't do good to dwell on such trivial matters, she had to focus on her studying, though she was often getting distracted by her friends or by her arch nemesis who somehow always seemed to be around when she was alone, and that never led to anything good.

Laying in the cozy warmness of her bed, she glanced around the dorm to find that all her roommates were still fast asleep. Great, that meant she had ample time to shower and catch up on reading. By "catch up on reading", she meant "reading further", for she was merely three weeks in advance, and she was a week late on her study schedule, to her utter outrage.

She jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up.

After she cleansed herself and spent the rest of her free time before heading to breakfast reading up on human-to-animal transfiguration, a subject that elicited many ungodly thoughts in her head. She had just found a way to fight off Malfoy once and for all. Next time he came near her, he would get a taste of what it felt like to be humiliated. Proud of her new discovery, she grabbed her things and stuffed them into her leather bag as she finally made her way to the Great Hall.

On her way, she heard her friends' voices, she could always pick them out of a sea of people.

She ran to them and slid in the middle, it was her spot. Between Theo and Blaise, she felt safe, just as she did between when she was with Harry and Ron.

"Hermione, do you think I should ask Daphne to the ball tonight?" Theo asked, a glint of hope in his green eyes. She knew about Theo and Daphne's peculiar situation, but she never spoke about it, for she knew Theo was not going to do anything to muck it all up.

"I think you should, she's probably waiting for you to ask anyway." She replied quickly, glancing at Blaise for support. The latter caught onto her plea and jumped in.

"That's what I've been telling him, but he thinks she'll read to much into it." He admitted, looking at Hermione and ignoring the scoffing boy on the opposite side.

Hermione, unfazed, turned back to Theo and added, "Well then you should ask her as friends, I'm sure she'll get the hint." She knew that Daphne had strong feelings about Theo, just as he did for her, but the boy was broken and was still mending his soul, one day at a time. And while doing so, he didn't want to get involved into any sort of romantic relationship, for that would most likely tear him apart again.

Running his hand through his already messy hair, he let out a shaky sigh and glanced over at Hermione, who gave him a knowing smile and threw her arms around the two boys' shoulders.

Blaise and Theo wrapped an arm around her waist and the three friends strode down to the Great Hall, and stopped as the reached its massive doors.

"I guess it's time." Blaise announced apologetically. It was time for them to act as if they hated each other. Just for the sake of not raising suspicion, the Slytherin boys would occasionally comment rudely on Hermione's heritage, which they always apologized for afterwards.

With a sad look on his face, "You know, we don't-" Theo started, but was abruptly interrupted.

"I've told you before Theodore, I know you don't mean any of the rubbish you speak. I _know_. Just be prepared for my comebacks, because I have some prepared if need be." Hermione declared as she stood tall, but Blaise saw how she flinched. She always flinched when this time came, but there was nothing he could do to assuage her worry.

Instead, he pulled her into a tight hug and gently stroked her hair, like he often did.

That was when it all turned to shit.

Over her friend's shoulder, she saw a platinum blonde haired boy walking straight to them, and he looked enraged. It's not very healthy to get worked up at such an early time in the morning, she thought, before realizing how stupid that thought was. This was _Malfoy_ for Godric's sake! As far as she knew, he would do the world a favor if he simply keeled over and died.

As he approached them, she pulled out of Blaise's hold and froze, waiting for it all to unravel.

"Well, what the fuck is this?" He sneered, as his cloudy eyes moved between Blaise and Theo, expecting them to do something hurtful to her in order to prove that they didn't care and that he didn't just catch his best mates embracing _her_.

None of the three friends spoke, actually, they stopped breathing. They hoped that by some miracle, they had become invisible and Malfoy was talking to someone else. But there was no miracle, only expectation.

"Malfoy, I'm not in the mood for your sour mood at this hour, could we pick this up later?" Hermione challenged, as the balled her fists to her hips. She saw his pupils dilate and his eyes fill with... with hatred she assumed.

 _If only she knew,_ he thought.

Bouncing back from his short-timed loss of control, he smirked viciously at her, before stepping four feet closer to her.

 _There's that fire again_ , he was staring at the brave Gryffindor in front of him with awe.

Blaise and Theo were still there, though they didn't speak, or move. They merely watched as their two friends stared at each other. It was as if one was entranced by the other.

Granger held his gaze defiantly as she slowly reached for her wand. This would be the perfect moment for her to transfigure him. This was _it._ The doors to the Great Hall opened and out came a few students. The rest of them still seated saw the Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess and they all froze, as they waited for their morning entertainment to begin, anticipating a good row.

She would transform him soon, _really_ soon.

She had her wand out and ready, pointed at him.

He was standing still, not even trying to fight back.

 _What is he doing? This is way too easy._ She thought. Their eyes were locked and time seemed to stop.

 _She looks so pretty when she's angry,_ Draco mused. Then when he realized her wand was aimed at him, he snapped out of his reverie and pulled out his own, knowing very well that he would not use it.

Hermione was peering into his grey orbs, searching for something. She was scrutinizing him, probing him.

 _Bloody hell, what are you doing to me. Please, just do it, Hermione. Do it!_ He silently pleated her.

His inside writhed with chaos, but outside, he was emotionless, detached. As he always was.

His eyes spoke to her, they were begging her for something she couldn't quite fathom.

 _Please, I can't hold it much longer, just do something._ He beseeched, but she didn't hear.

She was waiting for him to attack first so she could retaliate with her newfound spell. As if on cue, he started waving his wand.

Different colored lights came out of the tip and bounced off of her shielding charm, which deflected every single one of his jinxes. They danced around each other gracefully, alternating between offensive and defensive attacks. Though only Hermione was the one whose spells actually worked, since Draco was merely throwing colored flashes of light at his opponent.

He couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride at the curly haired girl who so beautifully fought him off.

Hermione caught the smirk on his pale face and almost burst out laughing at how silly this all was.

They were equal opponents, therefore, their whole hex exchange is completely useless, for they have reached an impasse.

They were at a standstill when Blaise made a snarky comment.

"Are you two done? I'm starved and quite frankly, bored." At that, Draco scoffed and Hermione chuckled.

The Hall was still silent, as the crowd of people had their eyes glued on what was going down before them.

Theo thought it was funny how Draco and Hermione seemed to not despise each other. It was quite the sight, even if it lasted merely five minutes. He found himself hoping that someday, Draco would stop his nonsense and cut the shit act. Maybe someday...

He was yanked away from his thoughts when Hermione turned to leave but fell to the ground on all fours when Malfoy shoved her.

Snickering, he said. "That's where you belong, Mudblood. _Never_ forget that." As he smirked at her, Blaise pulled him away and they headed to the Slytherin table.

Hermione was unaffected by his words. She saw the truth in his eyes. _His beautiful, haunting eyes._

OOOO

Everything went smoothly for the rest of the day, Theo asked Daphne to the ball – _she accepted-,_ Draco had left Hermione alone, Harry was winning the Triwizard Tournament, Ron was finally showing interest in Hermione and Blaise had a run in with Luna. Everyone was in their common rooms getting ready for the dance.

They Slytherin boys had found some Firewhiskey in an older student's trunk and stolen it. After having emptied the bottle after a mere hour, Theo and Blaise had gone off to get dressed and Draco was now in the common room, slightly dizzy from the alcohol. Sitting comfortably in a dark green couch, Draco was waiting for his date. He settled for Pansy, as she was always willing to do _whatever_ he pleased, _whenever_ he pleased. Her constant compliance often aroused Draco, much to his dismay. He couldn't control it, it was just constantly jumping up whenever a girl payed him close attention. He blamed it on his raging hormones. It became quite unbearable to be continually randy, but he somehow found a way to satiate himself, whether it be a quick wank in the shower or a good shag in a broom cupboard. Thinking about such things sent tingles straight down to his shaft.

He mentally punched himself right out of these sexual thoughts and stood to his feet as Pansy came down the stairs.

She was wearing a black floor-length dress, that fit her wonderfully. The material danced around her delicious curves in a way that might make a bloke hard, and her luscious dark hair was pulled back to show off her long neck. To Draco's utter pleasure, the dress was rather low-cut in the front, displaying her exquisite breasts. He was swaying lightly as the liquor made his brain throb. Holding out his arm for Pansy to take as they exited the common room, they were quickly joined by Blaise who came running after them.

As they walked on in the corridor, Pansy kept "accidently" falling into Draco, which was setting him off extremely. Blaise, who was on the other side, next to Draco, found his friend's situation rather amusing and sometimes choked back a chuckle, for he didn't want to be elbowed by his blonde mate once more.

"Quite the shindig, I see." Pansy gleefully stated as they entered the Great Hall and took a seat at their appointed.

Completely ignoring her, Draco's gray eyes roamed over the room and landed on his target. She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing this pretty periwinkle dress that looked like it had been made for her, her hair was tamed into a braid, though a few rebel curls framed her beautiful face. Probably feeling a pair of eyes on her, her brown orbs found his. She took his breath away.

" _Fuck me_ ", he admitted aloud.

* * *

 _A/N: This is it for chapter 8. Poor confused Draco, and poor Hermione who is going to get even more confused in the next chapter._

 _I know I haven't posted in over a week, I apologize deeply, I have been drowning in exams, but I am back and ready!_

 _Thank you, till next time ;)_ _Happy Holidays_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't even feel the need to tell you, you probably know by now.

* * *

 **• Chapter 9 •**

Previously:

 _Completely ignoring her, Draco's gray eyes roamed over the room and landed on his target. She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing this pretty periwinkle dress that looked like it had been made for her, her hair was tamed into a braid, though a few rebel curls framed her beautiful face. Probably feeling a pair of eyes on her, her brown orbs found his. She took his breath away. She was glowing, she shone._

 _"Fuck me", he admitted aloud._

* * *

Hermione was speaking with her date, Viktor Krum, about how come morning, they would eat breakfast together at the Gryffindor table and talk more seriously about their relationship when she caught a glimpse of pale blonde hair out of the corner of her eyes. He was all the way across the Great Hall, yet somehow, he felt closer.

She turned her gaze from Viktor to land on a pair of steely grey eyes watching her. The shock sent shivers down her spine and made her skin prickle, _probably with unspoken anger and hate._

He was clad with black dress robes that fit him perfectly and made his moonlight skin even paler. Around his neck, was a silky dark green tie that somehow made his eyes stand out more. It was hard not to get lost in his cloudy gaze.

Draco had been caught staring at Hermione, and he couldn't be bothered caring because at that precise moment, it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Her blood status, her condescension, her incorrigible know-it-all attitude, her big frizzy hair and her friendship with the two most half-witted blokes the world has seen. It was all meaningless.

Gobsmacked, he stared at the girl across the hall. It was all he could do, for he had been rendered senseless by the sight of her. Draco could always come up with some ridiculous insult to throw at her, but in that moment, even he couldn't find the words. Her skin looks like satin, _-probably was-_ , her lion's mane had been pulled up into a messy bun and her delicate features were framed by wayward curls, she looked like a prin-

A shrieking voice interrupted his reverie, " Even in a pretty dress, she is still filthy."

He felt a pang in his chest clench and the fury well-up inside as he tried to remain cool and composed while in his mind, he was hexing Pansy into the next millennia. He couldn't stand people insulting Granger, only _he_ could. How dare she speak about her this way, Hermione was better than anyone else in this room. _If only her blood wasn't muddy._ Fucking Pansy and her temper, he couldn't wait to shut her up. His blood was reaching a boiling state as he remembered her encounter with Hermione in the corridor one night.

Utterly amused by his mate's obvious attempt at controlling himself, he put a hand on the blonde's shoulder to distract him from the homicide he was evidently planning.

He startled when he felt his friend squeeze on his shoulder, he looked over at Blaise and nodded once to thank him from saving him from a life in Azkaban for the murder of Pansy Parkinson.

"We should probably take our seats for dinner, i'm famished." Draco whined dramatically, glancing at Blaise for support.

Sighing loudly, the Italian said sarcastically, "Right", smirking, "Well, let's get a move on people!", slightly pushing his friends toward the table where Theodore and Daphne sat.

Blaise slid inconspicuously between Draco and Theo as they sat down. His two friends have been avoiding each other since the incident a few hours ago, they were both afraid the other might snap if they spoke, which was more that likely to happen. Nott was always the only person in Draco's life to have the balls to call him out on his shit, it was something that he found both comforting and annoying, that one of his friends knew him well enough to know when he was talking rubbish.

Malfoy also knew that his best mates were also friends with Granger, even if they all tried to hide it from him, he knew, and he was alright with it because they were all good people who deserved each other. Deep down, he wished he could have the same relationship with her as blaise and Theo had, but her knew it could never happen. Not after he buggered it all.

He didn't have an issue with that. No. The problem wasn't that Draco and Hermione shared friends, but rather that his friends were defying him to defend her. They were supposed to be on _his_ side, not the _her's_ , the _Mudblood's_.

Only thinking about the fact that the bloody bint was literally taking over everything he had was driving him to the brink of insanity.

Here he was, thinking about her, _yet_ again. He's clearly gone mental.

With a mouthful of biscuits, Ron stated cheerfully, "Blimey Hawy! I don't fink I can sop eating, dish ish too bloody dewicioush..." he glanced back down at his plate full of different dessert, then back up at Harry.

Everyone at the table stared at him as if he had grown a second head before they erupted in laughter. Viktor had become acquainted with Hermione's friends fairly quickly, seeing as how both Harry and Ronald were big fans of Viktor Krum, -Seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch team-, and they clung to his words as if they were their lifeline.

Hermione had grown quite fond of Viktor in the few weeks they had spoken. Even though they had an age gap , _-him being 18 and her being 15-_ , and sometimes had difficulty understanding the other, they got along very well. Viktor was a perfect gentleman to Hermione, he never forced her to do anything she wasn't alright with. Besides the comfortable conversations, there was the snogging. Viktor was the first boy to ever snog her, so she couldn't really compare it with anything else, but she still found it good enough.

If it wasn't for the distraction, she wouldn't mind, but the incessant kissing was distracting her from her studies. She remembered the discussion she had with Viktor on that matter. He had been completely accepting of the fact that he couldn't snog her whenever and wherever he fancied since that was absolutely preposterous and uncalled for.

"Mudblood!", a familiar voice pulled her out of her reverie and she turned around to look at her arch nemesis, "I would say you look in that dress, but it would be an insult to the robe." Malfoy sneered at her.

Not knowing what to respond, she did the only thing she could think of, she glared daggers at him. His grey eyes were locked with hers, he smirked at her speechlessness.

"Merlin's beard!" he spoke dramatically, "Have I rendered Hermione Granger, the self-proclaimed brightest witch of our age, my favourite Mudblood bookworm, speechless?" he snickered darkly, almost as if he was trying to act like hadn't just flinched at his own words. He was quite the actor, since she didn't notice his start.

As she jumped from her chair and stood quickly, she strode over to him, "You see, _Malfoy_ , you don't have the intellect to render me wordless. I was simply saving my breath by ignoring you.", looking smug as ever.

They were a few inches away from each other and the height difference was becoming uncomfortable for Hermione, who had to slightly tilt her head up to meet Draco's stormy gaze as he towered over her.

He was smirking at her, it amused him immensely to see her react to him this way, winding Granger up was his favourite hobby. All his other favourites basically revolved around her and Quidditch.

"And how is that working out for you?", he asked honestly, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for her to lose her witts.

"Well it was-" she stopped when she realized what he was doing. "I'm not really in the mood for your games Malfoy, so if you don't mind, I would like to return to my date." she said, moving to stand beside Krum.

With his harsh accent, he asked, "Is everything alright here?", looking concerned.

"Yes, of course... we should dance." seeing her date stare at Malfoy, "Viktor, let's dance." she grabbed his arm and tried pulling him away.

"Her-mi-ne, I do not like the the way he is looking at you." He said dryly, still focused on the blonde haired Slytherin who had yet to go away.

"Don't worry about Malfoy, he's is just being his usual lovely self." she added sarcastically, successfully pulling him away before he muttered words that he should not have spoken.

"Just like his Death Eater father.", before turning to finally leave as a strong hand landed on his shoulder.

Possessed by uncontrollable rage, Draco lost control of his fist as it landed square on the Bulgarian's jaw, causing him to tumble backwards into Hermione, who staggered and collapsed in a heap.

"Look what you've done, you piece of shit!" Draco nodded angrily toward Hermione who was gapping at him from the floor.

Viktor turned around swiftly and picked her off the floor, pulling her to him and stroking her cheek with his slightly dry hand.

"Pardon me, my Her-mi-ne." he inquired, looking her dead into the eyes, pleading her to accept his apology. With a quick glance over his shoulder at Malfoy, who was staring right at her, she stiffened.

"It's fine, Viktor, let's just go." she stepped out of his grasp, still looking at Malfoy.

Krum stepped with her, and pulled her back into an embrace. She usually felt wonderful in his arms, but with Malfoy peering at her like he was, it was difficult to feel anything positive in her date's arms.

Draco couldn't look away from her, she was so graceful and forgiving and beautiful. For a mere instant, he found himself wishing she was in his arms instead. He still remembered the scent of her hair when she was so close to him a few moments prior, she smelled of gardenias and vanilla. Her freckles. She had freckles dusted lightly over her delicate nose and under her chocolate eyes. She was so-

 _What. The. Fuck._

 _She was kissing him? What the hell is she doing kissing that disgusting sod?_

 _Fuck, I can't breath. I just… Leave… Hermione… Hermione._

He couldn't breath, he had to get out. He had turned on his heels and ran out of the Great Hall so fast, Pansy stumbling behind him as he dragged her along with him and into the nearest broom cupboard to blow off all the steam.

OOOO

He couldn't grasp how ethereal she looked, dancing in an odd way that made him grin from ear to ear. She seemed lost, to anyone that didn't understand her. But to him, she was just the opposite, her way of seeing life had him question his own beliefs and what had been engraved in him. Indeed, he was friends with the notorious Muggle-born Hermione Granger, but that didn't mean he forgot about the Muggles and their strange ways of living. He didn't comprehend how they functioned without magic. Magic is power. Muggles didn't have magic, therefore, they were powerless.

Blaise snapped out of his daze when a stumbling Luna fell right into him and caught her quickly.

"Hello, Blaise." she said dreamily. "I seem to have lost my balance there." she added matter-of-factly.

She smelled like fresh linens and daisies, and her eyes were like the ocean, deep and peaceful, as if, even though they saw the most appalling and ghastly things, they found a way to serenity and quiet. That was what Blaise found especially fascinating about Luna.

"It seems so." he smirked gleefully, still holding her tight by her delicate arms. "Don't worry though, i'll be here to catch you when you fall." he flinched when he realised how stupid he had just sounded.

She smirked dreamily at him and let go of his strong arms just as they fell limp at his side.

"That is very nice of you to say, Blaise." she spoke gently as she turned to pour herself a glass of punch. Noticing she had not been left alone yet, she added, "Would you like something to drink, Blaise?"

He felt shivers run down his spine every time she said his name, it was as if it was gliding off her tongue, like it was something she always said, in that whimsical tone of hers.

"I would love to, thank you Luna." he grabbed the glass and took a sip before adding, "So how are you enjoying your night so far?"

He knew she had come with Neville Longbottom to the Yule Ball, it was common knowledge that he fancied her. But Blaise also knew that people didn't particularly like Luna, they found her odd and a little loony, hence the nickname Loony Lovegood. It astounded him more than he cared to admit that she seemed to completely ignore the rude comments and belittling from her fellow classmates and still be herself.

He had been debating asking her to the dance himself, but he didn't know her that well, and when he had subtly brought up the subject, she told him she was going with Longbottom.

"I am enjoying it quite a lot actually, thought the Nargles are especially numerous this evening." she looked up toward the ceiling at the mistletoe.

Confused, "May I ask what a Nargle is?", he asked.

She glanced back at him, surprised that he would ask. "They're creatures that infest mistletoe and are also know as mischievous thieves, you should steer clear of them. I have mysteriously lost many pairs of footwear because of them." she spoke confidently.

He couldn't help the snicker. "Bloody Nargles." he smirked at her, "How do you keep them away then?" he inquired.

She pulled out her Butterbeer cork necklace, "They tend to stay away from me when I wear it." she tugged it off and handed it to him. He looked at her doubtfully and reached out shakily to take it.

"You should have it, you need it more than I do." she stated.

"What about you?" he asked, looking utterly shocked by her kindness.

She smiled at him knowingly. "I'll be alright." Luna spoke finally before turning around and skipping off.

OOOO

The rest of the night had revolved around dancing, talking, eating and dancing again. Hermione was rapidly becoming more and more adamant that she was going to bed straight _,-after leaving Viktor in the Hospital Wing to heal his jaw-_ , when Harry and the others asked her to stay up late in the Common Room with them.

She had an extreme amount of fun that could last a lifetime, and was now eager to rest and put it behind her.

She still didn't understand what had gotten Malfoy's wand in a knot. _Why did he stare at her like he had, and what the bloody hell was his problem?_

Just thinking about it made her fingertips tingle with fury. He could be such a foul git when he wanted. She had accepted that he hated her and wanted to make her suffer and whatnot, but he had yet to see what would happen if he hurt her friends.

The way he had punched Viktor was eerily odd, it was as if he was waiting for a reason to hit him. Like any little word would lead to chaos. She couldn't deny that Viktor's comment about Malfoy's father was despicable, but it definitely didn't deserve that big of a thump.

 _Why did she even care?_ It was just vile and slimy Malfoy acting like his usual hateful self.

Giving herself a proper scolding and decisively getting into bed, she vowed to herself that from now on, she would completely ignore one foul git named Draco Malfoy.

The thought made her stumble into a much needed slumber.

* * *

 _A/N: Well that was that! Hope it satisfied._

 _I would like to thank you for you words of encouragement, it really motivates me to know that someone enjoys reading my story._

 _Feel free to keep commenting, I love reading what you guys are saying!_

 _I will also try and respond as quickly as I can so you don't linger in an indefinite suspense._

 _Thank you and until next time :)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: you know already. Also, I know this chapter is shorter than usual, its just an exception don't worry!**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

 **• Chapter 10 •**

Summer holidays, before fifth year

"Narcissa, go get Draco, He wants to speak with him." Lucius spoke anxiously, as he scurried back to his study to owl Nott Sr., letting him know of the recent developments regarding Draco and the Lord. Lucius knew that the young Theodore was reluctant to participate in anything related to what his father did, but if he wasn't on the Dark side, he was on the Light one,which made him the enemy.

There was a war coming, choices needed to be made, and soon, Otherwise, the price to pay will be greater than any other.

In the past few months, Lucius had been Voldemort's right hand man. He was his most loyal follower, he did as he was told and never asked questions, and that wouldn't change before long. Lucius was, from was he gathered, a good husband and a good father, he protected his loved ones as best he could, even though he knew, _-or guessed-,_ that nothing could ever happen to The Lord's finest Death Eater and his family, he was still concerned about their safety.

Narcissa had made it clear from the beginning that she was not on board with this ' _Voldemort coming back'_ plan, and that if push came to shove, she would protect her son from his own father if need be. She loved her son more than anything in this world, and she refused to let him follow in his father's footsteps, even though Lucius planned exactly that for his heir. When the time came when he could no longer be the Death Eater he was and serve the Lord to his best capacity, like he did now, his son would replace him as Voldemort's second.

All of a sudden, the door to his study flew open as a sleepy Draco walked in. Lucius couldn't help but note that his boy had grown into himself since he last saw him during the holidays. Those robes he wore at the Yule Ball all those months ago probably fit him perfectly now.

Lucius was pulled out of his thoughts when his son spoke firmly, rubbing the sleep away from his tired eyes with his palms. "Is there a reason you summoned me at two in the morning, Father?" sneering slightly.

"Don't speak to me in that tone, boy." he snapped. "I have something to tell you and you must listen very closely." Waiting to get a reaction, he continued when Draco gave him a simple nod. "The Dark One has asked to meet with you tonight, he will arrive at the Manor in a few minutes. You have to prepare yourself Draco. I do not know why he asked to meet with you this soon. I doubt you will get the Mark now, seeing as you are still underage, but you will get it sooner or later, Draco, that much I know." the young blonde swallowed the gulp in his throat, feeling the air slowly being pulled out his airways. "You mustn't be afraid, boy, He will not harm you. Not unless you fail him." Lucius glanced up at his descendant. "If my assumptions are correct, He will merely tell you what his plans for you are. Because trust me, you will have a primary role in his return. Simply know that if you do as he says, you will be rewarded. Your mother and I are proud of you, Draco." he could see his son trembling and couldn't help the sneer that overtook his features as he watched this weak and terrified _boy_ before him.

Draco was terrified of meeting Voldemort. He understood that with his father's involvement in the Dark Ones' ranks, he would also be dragged into it all at some point in time. Draco just didn't expect it would happen now.

With a final look at his father, he turned and went back to his chambers to prepare for His arrival.

As Draco hastily pulled on a more formal attire, he remembered how excited he was when Lucius had told him at the beginning of 4th year that in two years, he would get Marked. Now, it wasn't the same feeling anymore. The anticipation turned into horror. Draco didn't want the Mark and he didn't want to be further involved with Voldemort, but he wouldn't deny his father's wishes, and he had to do it in order to protect his family, _-his mother-_ , from the Dark Side, even if it meant giving himself to the Dark Lord and swimming in the Dark Arts.

Besides, every pureblood family that mattered was somehow affiliated with Voldemort, those who weren't were very rare or shunned for not fighting for the purity of the Wizarding World.

Blaise for one, was essentially alone, so he didn't know much about He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named coming back, but from what Draco and Theodore told him, he seemed adamant to avoid joining as well. Theo had different reasons, he saw what it did to his father and he wanted to steer clear of that at all cost, not that his father was pushing him toward that life, yet. All three boys understood Voldemort's idea to purge the world of its impurity, but they didn't support it, not one second. This mass cleanse essentially meant ridding the magical world of muggle-borns, which was absolutely preposterous. They didn't comprehend how people could approve of this ideology, unless of course, they were manipulated and indoctrinated.

Draco was shoved out of his trance when his mother knocked delicately on the door before opening it and popping her head in.

Flashing him her most casual smile, though Draco felt it was forced, "Draco, you must come, he has arrived." she said coolly, trying to hide the worry in her voice, but failing miserably. Draco caught the glint of despair and angst in her eyes and motioned for her to exit as he followed her out in the corridors.

They walked in silence for a while, until they reached the sitting room where Voldemort waited for Draco. The young Malfoy and his mother parted with a curt nod as he entered the big room. Glancing around, he immediately spotted the Lord in his black cape near the window, staring at nothingness.

Upon hearing foot noises, the Lord rapidly stood and spun around to meet Draco's horrified gaze. As he walked, -no, _glided-_ , toward him, he looked at the Malfoy heir from head to toe.

"Finally, I meet the notorious Draco Malfoy." his reptilian voice gave Draco goosebumps.

Trying to keep his wits about him, he kneeled before the Dark One, waiting for him to continue.

"There is no need to kneel, boy. This is our first time meeting, though Lucius often speaks of you." he stared right at Draco, not waiting for the latter to speak. "You can stand now. Now, do you know why I asked to meet you before the right time?" he inquired.

Shaking his head while he tried giving voice to his thoughts, "No, my Lord."

"I have asked to meet you now because my plans for you have changed. Your initiation will start sooner, rather than later, but you will still get the Dark Mark when you turn sixteen. Until then, you will be properly trained, either by myself or by Severus. You will be taught Occlumency, Legilimency and Dark Spells." Voldemort turned and added, over his shoulder, "It has come to my attention that you are second to Harry Potter's Mudblood best friend in school, you must rectify that. Wait for my instructions and start training with Severus as soon as you receive them."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving Draco to process it all.

OOOO

Stomping her foot like a five year old, she snapped, "You know, Ronald, you really are a right git sometimes." before glancing at Ginny for support.

"I can't read bloody minds, 'Mione! If you wanted to go to that stupid ball with me, all you had to do was ask. You can't keep baiting me with the fact that I didn't ask you, so you decided Krum was the next best thing and went with him." smirking. He knew that deep down, Hermione knew he was right, he just needed her to acknowledge the facts.

"How could I ask when you didn't notice I was a girl until you saw me in my underwear by accident? And for your information, Viktor _is_ the best thing, and I don't regret anything that happened that night, so you can stop with your failed attempts at goading me!" she screeched loudly.

He couldn't fight the crimson that engulfed his face, eyes wide, he pleaded ,"'Mione, _please-"_

She interrupted, "Don't ''Mione' me, Ronald Weasley! You have no right telling me I shouldn't have gone to the dance with Viktor. He was my boyfriend!"

He huffed loudly, "I know what he was! But you know what? You didn't have to shag him." Ron said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Of course I didn't _have_ to, you stupid twat! I _wanted_ to, and I don't regret it one second." she yelled before turning and stumbling off to her bedroom as Ronald followed after her and slammed the door shut.

They fell silent for a few moments, as Ron went to sit next to a sobbing Hermione on the bed, before speaking softly. "Hermione, I didn't mean to say it like that." he rubbed her back soothingly as she wept into her hands. "You know I would never intentionally hurt you. I just felt like, _-and hear me out-_ , I just felt like you somehow cheated on me."

Her heart leapt at that. Hermione had developed feelings over the past year for her red-headed friend, and she always found herself wishing he would notice her and see that they were meant for each other, because they truly were. Hope was the main reason why she broke things off with Viktor, but it was useless, since Ron still didn't open his beautiful blue eyes and see what was right under his nose.

She still couldn't believe what an annoying git Ron had been since the Yule Ball. He never got over the fact that she had lost her virginity to Viktor Krum that evening. Hermione remembered that night like it was yesterday.

They had left the Great Hall and wandered a bit around the corridors. Hermione had accidently drinked some of the spiked punch and was a little lightheaded from the alcohol, therefore Viktor held her close to him as they walked it off. They somehow started snogging quite intensely, then one thing led to another, and they found themselves half naked in a hidden alcove, shagging each other senseless against the dusty wall.

She recalled being fairly frightened at first, but Viktor calmed her down and made it far more enjoyable for her. And it was enjoyable, until one bloody Draco Malfoy caught them and hexed Viktor into the next century, quite literally.

When hexes weren't enough, Malfoy started throwing punches, one after the other fist to face, knuckles cracking as they crashed down on the bulgarian's jaw. Hermione stood, in her generic cotton white underwear, in the crisp air of an abandoned hallway, staring at her arch nemesis beating her boyfriend to a pulp. She was completely shocked, frozen in place. The scream was caught in her throat as she watched this blonde boy who seemed livid, slowly drain the life out of Viktor, thump after thump.

And then as abruptly as it began, it ceased.

Draco looked completely destroyed as he glanced back at her looking completely disheveled, eyes red and filled with unshed tears, "I can't believe you did this to me." he whispered, only for her to hear before he noiselessly cast a charm to fully clothe her as he left her there, confused and alone, with an unconscious Viktor Krum.

That was the night Hermione Granger killed Draco Malfoy.

* * *

 _A/N: That was the last chapter of their 4th year!_

 _Keep in mind that the next chapter will begin in 6th year, but there will still be "flashbacks" from their 5th year. I couldn't wait any longer to start making things more interesting and M rated for real._

 _I hope you enjoyed, as always, R &R and I will answer back!_

 _Thank you and till next time ;)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they still aren't mine.

Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating such wonderful characters and an extraordinary universe in which magic exists.

Be careful, there is an M rated scene in there. You have been warned.

 _* I would like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend. Per your request... Rebekah, this one is for you, I hope it exceeds your expectations._

 _Also, chapter 11… Eleven…. Stranger things… anyways, enjoy! :)_

* * *

 **• Chapter 11 •**

They all reunited at Nott Manor before the beginning of their 6th year at Hogwarts, which, quite frankly, they all dreaded. Draco had been on missions from the Dark One all summer and it was safe to say that he was completely drained. Voldemort sent him all over the country to recruit followers and form new Death-Eaters.

He remembered one of his failed missions rather vividly, for it had been a complete slaughter. People fought against Draco and his team, they weren't supposed to fight, they were supposed to yield and join the Dark side. The Lord's orders were clear, those who are unyielding are to be eliminated. Draco had no choice, so he followed directives, he eliminated. He hadn't expected the witches and wizards in that town, Framlingham, to resist, so he commanded his team of Death-Eaters to kill them all, quickly and if possible, painlessly, there was no need to drag it out, a simple Avada would solve the problem.

But it wasn't quick _nor_ painless, no. It was a complete and utter massacre, people were screamed and crying for their lost ones, Unforgivables were flying about around them and bodies were dropping fast, innocents were dying.

Draco recalled seeing a little boy, probably 4 years old, standing in the middle of it all, completely still. It was eerie how he seemed at peace with chaos, with death. But Draco had a purpose, kill them all, he had to obey, or else…

So he did what Severus had taught him, he closed his mind off, hiding his conscience away, protecting his soul from the carnage that unravelled before him. He became a soulless Death-Eater, the _perfect_ Death-Eater. He had outranked his father, making him proud and envious at the same time. Draco became _the_ Death-Eater. Heartless, ruthless, and empty.

Voldemort had not punished him once. Though the same could not be said about Lucius Malfoy, who got _crucioed_ nearly every week. He had become a sorry excuse of a man. He had become a ghost of his past self, roaming around and failing at everything. Good thing Draco was in The Lord's good graces, otherwise, he most likely would've killed Lucius by now, for the disappointment he had become.

Needless to say, Draco's summer had been restless and tiresome. He was tired of turning his mind off and following every _sodding_ order that senseless half-blood was giving him. He was tired of being in this constant state of fear and anguish that something might go wrong and his family would be punished for his mistakes.

He felt his soul wither away piece by piece, leaving him in the dark, as all the light disappeared.

He hadn't seen his mates at all during the holidays, and it felt good to be with Theo and Blaise again. Blaise told them about his conquests in Italy, since he spent most of summer at the Zabini Mansion there. He had become quite the playboy, shagging witches left and right, but never sticking with one in particular. But Blaise seemed happy with how things were turning out for him and that brought a great deal of comfort to Draco, to see that his mates were alright.

Theo had nearly made them fall over when he bluntly explained what happened to him and what he'd been up to these past months. You see, Theodore Nott had somehow become… _acquainted_ with one Luna Lovegood.

 _Yes, Looney Lovegood, the odd witch that chased imaginary creatures called Nurgles or something._

Zabini and Malfoy gaped at Theo, stuned, while he easily clarified that Luna had spent the holidays at Nott Manor, with Theo, and sometimes with Nott Senior when he came back from traveling _(his own missions from Him)._ Theo told them how fond he had become of Luna and that he rather enjoyed her presence. He found she was like a ray of sunshine, shedding light on his perpetual darkness.

His friends looked completely gobsmacked as they listened to him talk about Luna. He warned them that if one of them said anything inappropriate to her, he would hex them into the next millennia, and then kill them.

Choking back his laughter, Blaise said, "Well isn't this _quite_ the plot twist.", his arms to his chest while he smirked at Draco, then back at Theodore, who looked straight at him, annoyed.

"I swear i'm going to pound your arses to a pulp if you don't behave." he stated firmly, "She is coming back in a half hour from Diagon Alley. You sods better control yourselves." before reaching out to grab a scone.

Draco, slightly offended that his best mate would think so little of him, "I have to say, I did not expect this." he said smugly before pouring himself more tea.

"I mean, let's be honest for a second here." looking amused, "How can a damaged bastard like yourself befriend someone like Luna." he inquired honestly.

"I have no fucking clue, she just understands me better than anyone. The same way I understand her." he said unflinchingly.

Snickering, Draco stated, "You are just as fucked up as she is, no wonder you lot fit well together." seeing Theo's flushed cheeks.

"We're not together, Malfoy. She's just a friend." he added flatly.

Breaking out of his silence, Blaise finally spoke, "Right, a friend that you shag from time to time." delighted by the situation.

"Did I fucking stutter, Zabini? I _said_ she is just a friend." Theodore ponctuated the last words coldly, looking as annoyed as he felt.

Blaise, amused as ever, kept pushing, "Yes, and I said she was a friend you shagged every-so-often." he said smugly.

Theodore, unable to hide his smirk any further, "Fuck off, Blaise." before turning his green eyes to Draco who started laughing out loud.

The Slytherin Triad was back.

OOOO

They were on the bed in Hermione's room at 12 Grimmauld Place. She and Ron had been quite open about their feelings for each other these past months. Surprisingly enough, Ron was the first to come forth with them, two months ago. They were sitting in the grass outside the Burrow, at night, looking up at the stars. She recalled how he told her that he had always felt something stronger than friendship for her, but he didn't realised it until recently. She felt that flutter in her chest just thinking about how soft his hands were when he touched her face, stroking her cheeks lovingly, before kissing her. It was soft, yet powerful, like he was trying to catch up for lost time and pour everything he had in that one kiss.

Drifting back to reality, she looked up at him, as he was looming over her naked form. A few minutes ago, they had stripped each other completely, reveling in the nakedness of the other, simply staring. She saw the size of his impossibly hard shaft and felt the wetness between her thighs. That wetness she had grown accustomed to, from all the snogging and lack of contact beyond touching over their clothes.

Ron was looking at her like it was the first time he saw her. Well, it kind of was, he had never seen her like this before. Hermione's curly hair was forming a halo around her as she lay on the bed. Her golden skin glowing with pre-coital sweat. Anticipation become overwhelming, she pulled his mouth to hers, kissing him passionately as she trailed her hand down his body, eliciting a sigh from him. Moaning lightly into his mouth as his tongue seeked hers, she latched onto his throbbing length, stroking him slowly.

Groaningat her touch, "Hermione, you-", interupted by another searing kiss. He traced the soft curves of her breasts with his free hand, while the other was next to her head, holding him up so he didn't suffocate her with his weight. Her soft sighs urging him on, he lowered his mouth to her neck, nipping and licking while she started pumping him harder, making him thrust in her hand. They both moaned loudly at his loss of control. As he keep his ministrations to her neck, his hand lowered to her core. Finding her sodden center, he growled as he thrust faster in her hand, feeling that tingling sensation in his lower abdomen. He slicked his fingers in her wet folds, making her gasp as she tightened her grip on his length. Tangled together, they both writhed quicker, faster, seeking their sweet release. As he rubbed her sensitive nub harder and faster with his thumb, he inserted one finger into her, making her moan and latch onto his hair as he sucked on her taut nipple. Finding one finger wasn't enough, he added a second one, stretching her out, preparing her for him.

She moaned, "Please!" needing more, _so much more_.

A deep groan escaped from him as he removed his fingers, making her gasp at the abrupt emptiness. She released her grip on him when he kissed her softly, positioning himself at her entrance.

Rubbing his tip between her silky slits, teasing her. Ron moaned at the feeling, then he looked down at her, "Ready?" he asked her one last time, his voice hoarse from the lust.

All she could do was nod quickly as the angled herself. With a loud growl, he finally slid into her wetness, making them both gasp at how different this feeling was. As he pushed deeper inside her, feeling her tight around him, he whispered something about how amazing she felt, though she didn't hear it because she was focused on the mind blowing sensations that stirred deep within her.

As he picked up the pace, pulling out slowly and pounding back in, hitting that perfect spot, their moans grew louder and louder. She felt closer to the edge, "Yes… Ron… _Yes_ ", she panted as she felt it nearing.

Just as he sped up, harder and faster, making her moan his name and clench around his cock, he felt it. The orgasm hit him like a Bludger as he groaned, "Shit, Hermione!". With a couple more thrust, he completely emptied his bodily fluids deep inside her as he collapsed on top of her chest.

She couldn't help but feel used. She hadn't come, she was so close, yet she didn't come. But it was okay, she loved Ron, and he had come, calling her name loudly.

She stroked his ruffled red hair soothingly, as he lay, planting loving kisses across her chest.

Hermione loved Ron. It was okay that she hadn't come, because he did.

OOOO

They both dressed hastily, feeling slightly awkward after their first time making love to each other. But Hermione guessed it was probably normal, seeing as they had just taken a massive step forward in their relationship.

She smiled as he walked over to her, pulling her into him and giving her a passionate kiss.

She sighed happily as they parted. "I love you, 'Mione." he whispered to her. His loving words sent shivers down her spine and made her chest swell.

Hermione felt the blush creep up on her cheek, "I love you too, Ron." as she kissed him briefly before pulling away and grabbing his hand as they headed downstairs, to meet with everyone.

OOOO

Taking a seat around the large wooden table, they heard Georges snicker, "What the bloody hell to you so long?" he inquired, feigning innocence.

Hermione winced harshly at his comment. The action didn't go unnoticed by Ron, who looked at her, confused by her reaction, she shook her head only enough for him to see, to assure him it was nothing. Thankfully, he understood.

They all sat silent, Harry watching his best friends with a knowing smirk. Even though Ron and Hermione hadn't been open about their relationship, Harry knew. _Of course_ he knew, they were his best mates, and it was about bloody time that they cut the shit and got together.

He loved Hermione like a sister and he would do anything to see her happy.

 _See her happy._ She didn't seem happy right now.

She seemed disappointed and sad, the complete opposite of Ron, who appeared utterly ecstatic and ready to jump up and down like a cackling school girl who had just been asked out by an older boy.

 _What was wrong? Wasn't this what Hermione had wanted for the last two years?_

Harry couldn't shake the feeling that irked him, something was not right.

Someone finally spoke and it pushed him out of his daze. "So, the Order has contacted Andromeda, she said her house would be safe for us if need be, Tonks and I will be staying there." Harry recognised Lupin's familiar voice.

Confused, Harry asked, "I'm sorry, but who is this Andromeda person?", looking around the table at everyone.

"She's Tonks' mum, Harry." Hermione responded calmly. "You _know_ , she used to be Andromeda Black, but then she married a Muggle and was disowned by her prejudiced family."

He remembered her name from the tapestry in one of the rooms, her name was burned off, as were many others'.

Kingsley Shacklebolt broke the silence for the first time, "I must say, we are glad you three joined the Order, you will be of great help to us, even from Hogwarts." he stated blankly as he looked at the Golden Trio.

As if on cue, a brown owl flew through the window and over to the table, in front of Hermione and Ronald.

Hermione pet the animal gently and took the letter tied to its feet.

It had the Hogwarts stamp, she turned it over, looking at Ronald, to see him equally as curious.

She tore open the letter and read its contents.

" _Dear Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Granger,_

 _I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the Head Prefects from Gryffindor._

 _Your fellow colleagues from Slytherin are Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, from Ravenclaw are Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil and finally, from Hufflepuff, are Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott._

 _Following the tradition, for the last two years of your education at Hogwarts, you will be paired with a Slytherin. In your case, Mrs. Granger, you will share dormitories with Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Weasley, you will share yours with Mrs. Parkinson._

 _You will each have a common room and a shared bathroom, details of your situation will be clarified once you return._

 _I will see you at Hogwarts,_

 _Minerva McGonagall "_

Completely shell-shocked, Hermione sighed heavily, "Oh, Merlin help me."

OOOO

She said in her dreamy voice that made Theo calm instantly, "I find that people often think i'm odd." Locking eyes with him, "Do you think i'm odd, Theo?", she asked, in a daze.

Furrowing his eyebrows in bewilderment, "Yes Luna, you are odd, but so am I."

She smiled serenely, "Thank you, Theodore." she stated.

He stepped closer to her, "For what, Luna?" tucking a blonde lock behind her ear.

"For being you, and for accepting me." She quickly wrapped her arms around his chest and snuggled closer to his neck.

He pulled her closer, inhaling her calming scent, "Of course I accept you, Luna. How could I fucking not.", as he kissed the top of her head.

OOOO

They all ate for lunch when she came back. It went exceptionally well, much to Theodore's pleasure. Blaise and Luna had become friendly a few years ago, but it was all purely platonic now. As for Draco, well, he didn't know Luna at all, but was astounded by how wise she was, she had an interesting perception of the world, and he found himself fascinated by how her mere presence seemed to bring unfathomably large amounts of reassurance to not only Theodore, but to them all.

She was that sense of hope you have, even when you go through hell. She was that everlasting peace they all seeked.

An irritating noise came from the window, disturbing Draco from his thoughts. He saw the brown owl and went over to get the letter attached to its legs. Recognising the Hogwarts stamp and sighing in relief, _-he thought it might be from Severus, informing him of his next mission-,_ he opened it rapidly and read it.

 _...You will share dormitories with for your last two years at Hogwarts. , you will do well to not cause any problems. Better get used to having each other around, you will be spending quite some time together._

Huffing in anger, " _What_. The. _Fuck_?" he snapped loudly at the void around him, crumpling up the letter.

Clearly, this was his punishment for tormenting her all these years.

 _Bloody_ karma.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, well, well. Aren't things getting interesting! Yes, yes they are. And they will be getting even more interesting in the next chapters._

 _As always, R &R, your words inspire me._

 _Thank you and till next time ;)_

 _Mrs. Tudor_

 _P.S. Rebekah, I hope you enjoyed the special scene, it will most likely be the last... lol_

 _Love you,_

 _K_


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